The Chain Girl
by Lady Chrysanthe
Summary: I believe it could well be said that Perseus Jackson was biased to a few things.  I suppose it would be best to deliver the unabridged version of his affairs.  After all, who better to say than an observer and participant in most of his problems?
1. A Thief at the Winter Solstice

_A/N: Hey, all! This is my first _Percy Jackson_ fanfic, and I liked the thought of having a second character, besides the fact that I like Hades. Having a child of Hades was my best choice. My friend is likely to write a story (that I will probably post up) about his own character, Jolt, and what happens on his end. He's going to show up in this fanfiction on occasion, of course, but I should probably end this A/N before people get annoyed at the length. So, enjoy the first installment of _The Chain Girl_!_

**Chapter 1**

**A Thief at the Winter Solstice**

I remember how it all began, the tale of Perseus Jackson. Perseus Jackson has told his version of the story, but I fear that it was not entirely accurate. As far as I remember, I had been permitted to join my father at the Winter Solstice, and that is where I shall begin.

The Winter Solstice is a very tense meeting of all Olympians. My father has no throne and is rarely seen on Mount Olympus. Sometimes, he shows up to harass his brother and he is not well-liked. That morning, I had gotten ready for a day taking his place. I normally took over the Underworld once a year (the Winter Solstice) to get some experience. However, I was told to put on a nice traveling cloak, as Father was taking me to the Winter Solstice. I was confused, as he had never really taken me before. My eyes must have betrayed my confusion, as he smirked and pat my head as he normally did when I amused him. I had done as he asked in moments.

As we surfaced in a park of some sort from Orpheus's tunnel, I was hit with marred air. There was too much pollution around not to cough heavily. "Chrysanthe," Father said to me, "please take deep, full breaths. It will help." I tried to take deep breaths, and I choked. Then I tried again. It was easier this time, and soon I was breathing evenly with the occasional hiccup of breath. I looked up to my father—who looked more like a goth than a god—and followed him as we walked to a pathway. Father was explaining several things of the living world to me—cars, skyscrapers, animals, business people—as we made our way to a spire. I blinked up at the building, which was almost as tall as our castle when you included the spire. "This is the Empire State Building. Above this, when you look around the mist, you can see Olympus. Humans don't see it, but we can." He was right, I could see the rock of the mountaintop and then parts of Olympus. I walked in, following him as he simply tossed a golden drachma to the guard and went to the elevator. I knew it would be a long ride and sat down, as we were going to the 600th floor. Well, so I was told. I looked up at my father, finally formulating a question.

"Father," I said to get his attention. He had leaned back against the elevator, helm tucked under his arm with his staff in hand. His other hand was in his pocket relaxedly. His eyes flickered to me with curiosity at what I had to say. That was as much of an acknowledgement that I would be getting. My eyes traveled to the ceiling. "Why do you choose to look as you do?"

I had amused him again. He was smirking. "I choose a youthful appearance. Today, men are more lax in dressing unless they are of the important human variety. To make himself fit in, Zeus himself has taken to wearing business suits, but I prefer this type of attire." He motioned to the black ripped shirt and vest. Tight black jeans and boots completed his ensemble. "You see, it is very easy to move in, and I rather like how I am. I could have appeared as Roman, Greek, or however I damn well wanted. I wanted to appear like this. You don't like a youthful father?"

"It isn't that, I just wanted to know," I said in my own defense. Indeed, this was the type of thing I oft pulled. An accidental insult to my father. He smiled at me.

"I know. I was waiting to see your reaction. I rather like that you look like me, though…" He leaned over to me in the small elevator, free hand now on the rail so he was simply towering over me, despite leaning. "If you looked like your mother, I would like you too much, but you look like a healthy mix. A bit too much like me for your mother, but that is also well and good." He set down his helm and staff, looking over me. He crouched down, grasping my chin and tilting my head back. I was confused at his actions, and he laughed gently. "Come now, we are about to go." He picked up his helm and staff, tucking the helm under one arm and carrying the staff loosely in the other. At least, it seemed like a loose grip.

As I walked with him through Olympus, I noticed how satyrs and muses and lower gods and goddesses retreated from us. Finders and protectors alike shied away from his powerful aura and appearance. His features were set coldly and he held himself strongly, like most of the gods, but he was far colder in regard to his demeanor. His eyes were ice, and they showed death. Deaths so horrible it was nasty to think of it.

A crowd of demigods was waiting outside of the large, open room where gods and goddesses met for the Winter Solstice. I noticed how Father's hand was suddenly tight around his staff. It may not have been noticed by others, but knowing him well, I knew he was uncomfortable with a large group of demigods led by a centaur watching him. He arrived at the plain throne that he had claimed for when he arrived. I rather liked it; it suppressed his ego. He sat and placed his helm next to his throne on a small cushion, while his staff was next to his throne. He looked at me and pat his knee for me to sit on his lap. Immediately, I obeyed his orders and sat on his lap, leaning back like he did. He was a bit tenser than he should have been, and I was a bit tense too.

I was regarded by a few of the gods and goddesses, and I stared right back at them. My eyes were black, I knew, like my father. My hair was dark brown, nearly black. My skin was almost white, perhaps the only difference in us other than our size and genders. He ran a hand absently through my hair as a mortal would pet a cat while thinking.

"Hades, why is this girl here?" one goddess questioned. Father's eyes flickered to her.

"She is my daughter. There is no reason to leave her behind while she is this old, Athena. You should realize that while she is mature at this moment, I have not broken my oath that my silly little brother has." I could see that a dark-haired man across the table was trying hard not to start an argument with Father while in the presence of demigods.

As the meeting commenced, Father explained how the Underworld needed to be expanded to fit the crowding of souls in the Fields of Punishment and the voluminous Fields of Asphodel. I noticed my aunt/grandmother looking at Hades accusingly. I knew the history between them well, and the argument that was about to rise.

"So my daughter isn't enough for you, eh?"

"Demeter, must we have this conversation again? Zeus is the one who gave her to me; speak to him over her absence. She also ate that pomegranate, and so she is bound to me but half of the year! You should be grateful you get to see her for so long as the other half!" Father replied scathingly, glaring at his sister. Hades was the oldest of the six children of Rhea and Kronos, but Aphrodite was older than him, borne of Ouranos's castration. He never much cared about that, though. He was stronger than her, both in mind and power, and her beauty never phased him. At least, this was what he told me.

I watched as she winked at Father, but he did not return the gesture. Even I knew that she was trying to play with him, and he would oft play back with her, only to best her in the end anyway. I had seen the games myself, and it was something I would not suggest for someone under the age of seventeen to watch. My attention returned to Demeter, who was again arguing his point. I noticed the demigods leaving and shrugged inside. I wouldn't make a verbal or physical showing that it was important, but something nagged at me that there was something off now that they were gone.

"I will not argue with you any longer on this point! She is my wife, and my business."

"She is my daughter and my business too!"

"The mother of my daughter will not be leaving me any time soon, and that is _final_," Father snarled with annoyance. I had never heard him claim me to be a full goddess, as mother never cared to claim me and he rarely went past what she would say. There was an awkward silence for a few moments while Hades let himself calm from his angry high.

"WHERE IS MY MASTER BOLT?" Zeus's voice suddenly boomed. I blinked, looking around and then at his throne and around it. Nope. Nowhere in sight. And I had honestly believed that it may have just rolled under Zeus's chair or something akin to that.

"My Helm is missing too," Hades said quietly, coldly, though I knew a fire of anger was burning from his eyes. Everyone was looking around, checking that they still had their items, when everyone noticed that Poseidon—the last of the Big Three—had his Trident still. I was a bit confused, but the implications were too obvious, were they not?

"YOU TOOK IT!" Zeus roared, standing from his throne to accuse Poseidon more powerfully.

"I did no such thing!" Poseidon replied, also standing. Now, to add to the embarrassing childishness of the situation, Hades chimed in.

"And yet you were the only one whose symbol went unstolen. I wonder who of us would have done it, then?"

"Excuse me," I said meekly, and no one listened to me. "Excuse me!" I said louder, and suddenly, all eyes turned to me. "Without the assistance of a mortal or a hero, you cannot take one another's items. It would have had to have been taken during the Solstice while all of us were together, and that means that someone snuck in or that one of the demigod guests did it."

Rather suddenly, I was ignored. The fight continued, the two brothers yelling at each other. The air was getting tense, and I felt my father's power protecting me from the full brunt of their power. The other gods and goddesses watched dispassionately. Well, except Ares. He reveled in the warlike tension.

"RETURN IT TO ME!"

"I DON'T HAVE IT!"

"FINE! You have until the Summer Solstice to return it, or we go to war!" Zeus roared. Poseidon scowled at his brother.

"Very well. I do not have it! Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be getting it from me!" I flinched as suddenly, gods and goddesses began to disappear. Hades grabbed his staff, glaring at Poseidon. I knew that I was the only reason that he didn't join the fight; he did not want to appear childish.

Rather suddenly, I felt a rush of cold and knew we were using shadow power. The sensation lasted for only three seconds before we were seated on Father's throne. Mother was in her throne, but I paid her no attention as I got up.

"ALECTO!" Father yelled, getting the attention of one of the furies. It landed on the back of his chair with a screech, its talons gripping the bone. Father didn't even look at her. He was seething at the thievery of his favorite item. "Chiron left for a school at the beginning of the term. I want you to invade the school and find out what is so interesting there. If you find a peculiar demigod, wait for it to make a move. Then destroy it and FIND MY HELM!" The fury screeched again as it flew out the large window that was always open.

In minutes, the other two were going to other schools in order for him to cover as much ground as possible. Mother was attempting to comfort him, but I knew it would never work. Finally, Father turned to me, looking at me with fire in his eyes. I felt fear, something that was very rare for me to feel but Father was always the one who incited it.

"Go to Camp Half-Blood. I will be certain that Dionysus does not expose you. Find my helm and you will be given a reward for it," Father said in a sweet tone, lips twitching in an attempt at a smile. He must have known I was afraid, but he did nothing to alleviate his raging aura and power. I bowed, not daring to speak, let alone protest. I went to my room to get some clothing and find a way to be discovered by a satyr and get into Camp Half-Blood. I didn't want to leave my home, but with Father's helm missing, there was little else I could have done or trusted someone else to do.


	2. The Art of Finding and Fooling a Satyr

_A/N: Well, I'm trying to match this up as much as possible to the series. That means that events happening in the series will be in the same order and chapters…Thus the reason chapter one was the Winter Solstice. I dunno, I just thought it would be cooler that way. Also, my friend (with his story about Jolt) is up. PercyJacksonFanDTS is his name, and I'm proud to call him a friend. Be sure to read his story about Jolt, because Jolt is going to be showing up here every so often!_

**Chapter 2**

**The Art of Finding and Fooling a Satyr**

One of the hardest things in the world is finding a way to attract a satyr to your aura. _Especially_ when said aura feels like death. However, the three hours of work—making myself expend power while running in random places as if running from monsters—was effective, if not tiring. It took three hours before I simply sat down, waiting. When I could sense something approaching, I started to pant for two reasons. First of all, it would attract a monster to weakened prey. Secondly, if it was the satyr she wanted, she had to be tired after three hours.

As it turned out, it was a monster. I was a little tired, but not too tired to run. I got up again and ran clumsily, making as much noise as I could while still panting heavily. There was a sort of high I got from speeding my heart rate with intentional adrenaline. To my right, I heard hooves clattering and wondered if this was a friend—well, someone not intending to harm—or an enemy. It took a few seconds, but a satyr had caught up to my clumsy running and was looking at me to assess damage.

"Here, kid," he said, offering his hand. Glancing at his appearance, I saw that he had taken off the fake feet that most of the satyrs wore. I didn't trust him; it was hard to trust anyone now. However, I knew it was necessary to put at least some trust in his abilities. I couldn't die, anyway. I took his hand and found myself hoisted onto his back. I could feel his muscles moving as I tried to find where to hold on. "Hold on to my neck—arms around, not hands!—and put your knees on either side of my hips," he said as if he could tell my dilemma. I shuddered with withdrawal of not using my powers, now that the pull that I suffered to use the powers was surfacing. I held on to him tightly, rather sure that I wasn't strangling him right now. I glanced over my shoulder at the monster following us. The satyr was fast, but certainly not fast enough. I sighed internally, pretending to pass out as a wave of my power escaped me. The familiar feeling of claws getting into my aura and lying heavily on my shoulders arose, and a large slash went across the monster, cutting it in half and letting it dissolve.

I heard the clopping of the satyr's hooves quiet and slowly opened my eyes as if awakening. I had made sure my grip had slackened greatly, and the satyr had seemed to buy it. He stared behind us, as if trying to figure out what had killed the monster. "What did you do?" I heard him ask in wonderment. I blinked at him sluggishly.

"Huh?" I said smartly, promptly throwing him off his questions. He set me down gently, letting me sit. His hands were checking me for wounds, and I honestly felt uncomfortable with his care. I had a few scratches, but they would be gone by the morning. What I had noticed that made me really anxious was the golden ichor now dripping down my arm—the blood of the gods. With the ichor, it was obvious I wasn't a half-blood, but a full goddess. He looked at me critically.

"Hey, kid…What's your name?"

"Chrysanthe," I muttered shyly, not liking having to talk to new people without Father introducing us.

"Beautiful name. Where are you from?"

"San Diego," I said, having developed my cover story already—though it was now a little off by his knowledge that I was a full goddess. He was placing a band-aid over my arm where the ichor dripped from and cleaned the ichor from my arm with a nearby leaf. It was scratchy, but it worked.

"Well, why are you all the way over here in New York?"

"I ran away from my dad. He wouldn't believe me about all of these monster things I was seeing, so I ran away to protect him because he wouldn't move," I explained in my best innocent voice. He seemed to buy it.

"Well, you aren't normal," he said softly. I looked down with mock sadness, quite loving my role.

"Then you don't believe me either."

"I do! Believe me, I do. The monster there almost got us! It's just…You're not a human. That's what I was trying to say," the satyr said.

"Not…human?"

"No, you're a child of the gods."

"Isn't everyone a child of God?"

"No, like Greek gods."

"Zeus and Hera and all?" I heard thunder and internally apologized for saying his name. The satyr looked at the sky, startled.

"Names have power. I would not use them if I could help it," the satyr suggested.

"So…if I'm a god…What are you?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"I'm…Well, here." He took off his pants to reveal shaggy black fur. He was a satyr indeed. His legs were black as opposed to the normal gray, and he pulled off his orange tee to reveal a toned chest. His skin was tanned, as if he spent a long time in the sun each day. His shaggy black hair fell messily to his shoulders, and it almost covered two goat horns. I got the impression that the Mist took care of the rest. His most fascinating feature was his red eyes. Something told me that this may be the only satyr I would get along with. "I'm Blaine Ravenpine."

Blaine pulled his clothes back on, also fitting on his fake feet so that he could blend in easily with humans. He walked to a tree and pulled down a bag to pull out a black jacket and fit it on. It was winter, and I had almost forgotten how cold it was. I was being reminded; the Underworld may be cold, but not as much as this. He also fitted on a black hat that I recognized as a fedora, virtually the only type of hat that my father would wear. I realized that he wore black…except for the orange tee. Around his neck was now a set of reed pipes and he also pulled a blanket from inside the bag, handing it to me. I pulled it around me and he and I started to walk to what I hoped would be Camp Half-Blood. "Do you have any money?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted, always having a stash of mortal money just in case.

"Let's go get some food, then. I'm sorry, satyrs don't have much use for money so you'll have to pay."

XxX

As we sat in the warm restaurant, I let myself warm up a bit. My skin was pale due to a lack of time in the sun, but I could feel a pleased flush rising to my cheeks. Blaine and I were waiting for our burger and fries to come. I had told him that when I finished my food and drink he could have the wrappers because I knew that they were like goats; they ate anything. I traced a ring of condensation from my glass. "I don't really understand," I admitted, not really understanding most things that demigods came to know. "How does a god come to mate and have children?" Blaine seemed to bristle.

"Well…uh…the same way humans do," Blaine said slowly. He was nervous on the topic, and it was almost amusing to me. I tilted my head.

"You don't…you're different from the others I've gotten," he said carefully. I was a bit anxious now. "You see, your blood is kinda…well, it's gold. Something called ichor…It's the blood of gods and goddesses, not demigods."

"Demigods? Like…half human and half god?" I questioned, though I knew well what he was talking about.

"Well, yes. Therefore, you had two godly parents, I believe." He paused. "Were you staying with your real parent? Your real father?" he questioned after a moment, and I looked at him. The burger and fries arrived, alleviating the awkwardness for a moment as I got my burger ready. I ate a few bites.

"No, I've been going between families," I lied rather well. I was good at lying, living with the lord of darkness helped with that. "It's depressing at times, but I've been with that man for ten years now. He's almost like my father, really." I tapped a finger on the table, agitated with speaking so highly of a false man. I finished my burger and passed him the foil wrapper. He munched on it in thought, rather neat about how he held it where the condiments weren't.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. There's this place that's safe for people like you and me, where monsters cannot make it in to hurt you," Blaine finally said with a bright smile over the foil. I blinked.

"Can we bring my father?" I asked, knowing that he wouldn't allow me to anyway but still needing to seem like an innocent. Blaine shook his head sadly.

"It would kill a mortal to be there. Mortals are normally unaffected by monsters anyway." Blaine finished the wrapper as I picked at the fries and sipped the drink slowly. "It's called Camp Half-Blood. A goddess like you won't be harmed there, so you should be fine." He smiled so earnestly, I was almost inclined to believe him. Almost.

I passed him the box for the fries as I finished them. I had been hungrier than I had previously thought. The shaggy-haired satyr ate the box quickly before pulling his jacket open. The orange tee read "CAMP HALF-BLOOD" in large letters. He zipped up his jacket quickly before waiting patiently for me to finish.

"You know," he said as we left the restaurant to walk along the sidewalk of New York City, "you're rather calm with finding all of this out."

"Well…It just answers so many questions," I said as if admitting a secret. In truth, I knew I was too cool-mannered about it, but I was cool about anything. I didn't act out. Ever. It was something outside of my emotional range.

Holding in my power, I noticed that it was less suffocating in the living world if I just let myself flow with everything correctly. My eyes traveled to the satyr, who appeared to be thinking. He finally looked at me and blinked with those red eyes. "Camp Half-Blood is fun. Are you cold?" he asked. I must have been shuddering or something, as he took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders. It was _way_ too big for me! I almost couldn't believe it! However, I was grateful for the warmth. I pulled the coat around me so it was warmer, shutting out more cold. His free hand pulled the hood over my head to block out the wind. I felt a little bit bad for him; I had taken his only source of warmth and he was in a short-sleeve tee that read "CAMP HALF-BLOOD." He seemed unbothered, though. His hands had fingerless gloves, and he fiddled with the studded belt he wore to make sure that his pants didn't lower and reveal his shaggy legs. I didn't see him having any problems, and it was probably because he was used to the outside in the winter. I was not.

We walked for a long time before Blaire finally hailed a taxi. We got in, Blaire sitting somewhat uncomfortably. He told them the address and I watched the scenery pass. Finally, we stopped in the middle of nowhere, and I paid the fare with the last of my money. The cabbie seemed rather mystified to our purpose here, but I said that our uncle's farm was here to satiate his curiosity. We got out and he peeled away. Looking at a hill called Half-Blood Hill, I was struck with recognition.

My cousin. Thalia.

Looking at Blaine, I found that he was already crossing the road. I followed him uncomfortably, and he smiled. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I hope you find it too your liking. A lot of the people here call it home, after all," he said kindly, offering his hand to escort her in.

.


	3. The Battle of the Bathroom

_A/N: We all knew something would have to happen soon. I'm sorry if I seem to be dragging it out, but I'm making a serious attempt to match it together. Percy shows up soon, I promise!_

**Chapter 3**

**The Battle of the Bathroom**

Camp Half-Blood is surprisingly large. I remember cresting the hill and finding myself enthralled at the beauty. As opposed to the thick layer of snow past Thalia's tree, I found a light dusting of the white, and it looked very nice. As I glanced around, I found that it was actually somewhat…pretty. I looked at Blaine, and he tugged on my wrist to lead me to a farmhouse with a wraparound porch that looked quite homely. I didn't like homely.

As I walked into the house with Blaine, I found the face of someone I really didn't want to see. I held in my annoyance as he looked at me and raised an eyebrow. His leopard-print tourist shirt was annoying. Very annoying. Too colorful. He was chubby, too. Really chubby with dark, curly hair that brought out his red nose. He looked like he was drunk, even though he wasn't. He was on a 100-year sobriety ruling. And he wasn't allowed to live on Olympus for the time being.

Quite an annoyance to put up with him here, though!

"This is Mr. D," Blaine informed. Mr. D? How…uncreative. "Mr. D, this is Chrysanthe. She is…umm…A full goddess," the satyr replied nervously.

Dionysus, god of wine and fertility, waved Blaine off. "I'll send her out with you for a tour in a few minutes. Just wait out there, I want a word with this one." Blaine clopped out onto the porch, and I could almost sense his nervous shivers. "So, Karen, how have you been? I haven't seen you since…Oh, yesterday, as a matter of fact."

"Indeed."

"What is the meaning behind invading my camp?"

"I believe it is no concern of yours."

"It is when it is my property, where demigods are to be safe! With one of Hades's full-blood children here, it's impossible for it to be safe!" Dionysus hissed, making sure that Blaine could not overhear. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I am not discussing my reasons. It is not to harm any campers who are innocent, and therefore, the safety is upheld here. Now, I will be staying here until my father's order comes otherwise."

"Oh, great. You're here on your father's order? Hmph. Anyway, you'll be staying in the Hermes cabin. You haven't been claimed, and there's no chance that Hades has his own cabin."

A flare of anger rose in me. I took a deep breath through my nose as the stubborn god waited for me to retort badly. I knew that it would be easy enough for him to expose me and to bind me for a while. I simply turned my back on him and walked out to the porch.

Blaine was waiting for me, something I found endearing about the satyr. He was obedient. His red eyes studied me for a moment, and I realized my aura must have betrayed my anger. I calmed myself. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

"Nothing, Blaine. Come on, show me around. I wanna know what everything is!"

"Alright, then!" Blaine replied, laughing at my (fake) enthusiasm. He and I raced into the camp, away from the farmhouse, and I felt a sort of joy, of exhilaration. It must have been the cheerful air. In any case, I felt a moment of…happiness. It was rare that I did, and most of the time it was when I made my father proud, and that was one of the rarest events of all.

The first thing that he showed me was the kitchens, which was where everything was made to eat (well, I knew this before the explanation. Thank you, Blaine). It was also where the messiest of cabins would clean plates. I met the harpies and motioned frantically behind Blaine's back that they should not act that they knew me. Well, that they knew the source of my darkest powers. Being the child of Hades was oft a pain in this regard. Monsters could _not_ blow my cover.

We passed the woods on the way to the cabins. I was told that it was a place not to go into alone, which was something interesting. Why not? Monsters from the Underworld in there. Darkness, monsters…what more could I want in a home? I would have to explore it someday. Probably later on this one. I found myself curious about how secluded it was there. Blaine was still talking.

At the cabins, I looked over them. I could pretty much tell whose was whose. There was Zeus and Hera in the front; they looked similar except for the designs on the doors. From the dust on the steps, I could tell they had not been used in a long time, if ever. One was Zeus, Two was Hera. Three was behind Zeus, as all odd numbers were. That one obviously belonged to Poseidon. Four, behind Hera with all evens, belonged to Demeter. I hated that woman, and the woven grass roof made me want to throw Greek fire on it…Five was obviously Ares from its chaotic structure, Six was Athena, Seven was Apollo, Eight was Artemis, Nine was Hephaestus, Ten was Aphrodite, Eleven was Hermes, and Twelve was Dionysus.

My anger rose again. Although he was one of the Olympians, he was not granted the honor of the throne, nor a cabin here. I looked at Blaine as he led me to a rather crowded cabin.

"This is the Hermes cabin, where all of the new kids stay until claimed," he informed softly, nudging me to let me make my way inside. "Just be careful about setting things down in here. A lot of stuff goes missing. Just take a peek, but we still have more to see," he said, forcing himself to be cheerful. I stuck my head in, looked at the campers, and swore that I wouldn't go in there. Ever. I looked to a vast commons much like the forums Father had told me about, except it had basketball hoops for the common game. It did not matter to me, though.

We went across the commons, and I ignored the looks I was getting. We arrived in the arena, where I watched someone who was training. The sword was not my style, but I was proficient in it. I looked through the swords that were set next to the arena, picking up a light rapier. Although they were weak, they were fast and had a better puncture rate than a slash rate. I found that punctures were more effective.

"Care to spar?" I heard him ask as I turned my head in his direction. I raised an eyebrow at him, readying a stance but not speaking.

"Chrysanthe, don't try it!" the satyr nearby exclaimed.

I heard my opponent's light chuckle. "I take that as a yes." He rushed me, which was a fool's move. I feinted a block, then ducked under his swing, moving to make a blow to his stomach but finding my move blocked. "Wow, good try." I had never seen someone (well, someone other than Father) quick enough to block that one. I ducked under another swing, feinting at least three times before an attempt on his side, at which point I had to dive away from his swing before I got hit.

Bah.

This guy was pretty good, and I could see that Blaine was concerned from the corner of my vision. I attacked viciously, deciding to check his defenses. He was rather proficient. No matter how close to him I got, my blade never touched his skin. He was good, but I noted an opening in each stance and realized that he wasn't good enough.

I made him move, keeping myself spry and in motion. I knew I wouldn't break a sweat as I went for each opening. As he got my pattern, he could block each opening. Suddenly, I used my bare hand to block his sword, holding it. It almost burned; I could feel celestial bronze and steel in it. My free hand used the rapier to flick it just under his chin. His use of a two-handed grip had left him more open than he had thought.

My eyes followed his hands as he released his weapon. I set it down and tossed the rapier back into its pile. "That weapon isn't right…" I commented as I turned to Blaine, whose eyes widened. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I rolled forward, feeling that blade graze my back.

"You don't turn your back to an opponent," the boy chastised. "This is an opening, but you didn't get hit too hard, so not bad."

"I was under the impression that we were done, but if you want to continue, I would suggest finding me a decent weapon. Swords do not feel right," I said simply. Then I could hear someone yelling something. It took me a moment to realize that they were addressing my opponent.

"_Luke!"_ they yelled. My eyes returned to my previous opponent. I locked eyes with him and saw his scar. I tilted my head, questioning him. I went unanswered. He smiled, waving at the blonde now approaching us. His sandy hair almost complimented her blonde. She stood to my side, looking at me curiously. "Are you a new camper?"

"Indeed."

"Well, I'm Luke," my opponent commented, holding out his hand, which I didn't take. Blaine trotted over, bleating with concern. He had taken off his fake feet and had tucked them under his arm as he stood on my other side. We made the approximation of a square.

"I am Chrysanthe," I said simply. The blonde blinked at me and my rudeness. She seemed annoyed that I could be so curt, but there was more where that came from.

"My name's Annabeth! Daughter of Athena. I'll help you out if you need it," she offered.

"No thank you."

"I am a son of Hermes, so I'll be in charge of you until you're determined," Luke said with a friendly smile. I could feel his interest in me. Not a friendly interest, but a calculating interest. As if he needed me for some odd purpose.

I would not being agreeing, I was sure.

I heard a loud horn blow and blinked, my eyes looking at the source, which I could not determine. Blaine caught my hand. "That means dinner," he said in explanation. I nodded. Dinner? Sounded like it could be of interest.

We went to an outdoor pavilion where there were many picnic tables. I was set with a rather crowded table that Luke sat at. Blaine joined Mr. D at the head table and Annabeth joined many others that shared a few features. I was told that it was more crowded in the summers and made a note that I would have to eat alone in the summer.

A loud, obnoxious group sat a few tables away, and they annoyed me a little more than somewhat. I turned my eyes on them, and a rather large girl seemed to bristle, turning and glaring at me before smiling with evil intent. I had a feeling that I would be seeing her again soon.

It was explained to me that we offered part of our meal to the gods, normally our parent. If we didn't know, just pray to be claimed. I snorted internally, but offered a part of my meal to Father, whispering how I wanted to leave. I felt a small rumble under my feet, which went unnoticed by most, but Mr. D glared at me from over his Diet Coke can.

I didn't even finish my meal. I felt ill. I slipped away halfway through the meal, almost everyone watching me. I'm pretty sure a few people found the behavior normal and didn't bother. I knew Mr. D was watching me as I walked far enough away to not be seen before I slipped into the woods. I found my way in deep, sitting beside a stream. The setting sun on a spray of water created a bit of mist, and I noticed that it was glowing with a rainbow. I blinked, taking a golden drachma from my pocket—I was well-armed with them—and tossing it into the mist. Rather suddenly, I saw my father's strict face. He looked bored.

"Chrysanthe," he said dryly, "have you found anything?"

"No, not yet. I am becoming acquainted with the camp. I have not been able to assess behavior. I'll be certain to report a list of suspects soon," I offered, hoping that would please him. However, he scowled.

"I'm rather disappointed."

"I-I apologize," I replied, my hopes let down.

"No, in myself," he amended. I looked at him hopefully. "I sent you out on a mission that I knew you wouldn't like on your birthday." It was. I thought about it, and it was no wonder there was an air of cheer about. It was my birthday.

I had been born about a century ago on what mortals had called Christmas. I frowned. "Ah. Indeed you did. I had forgotten, Father."

"Mm. That's no good." I sensed the shadows next to me shifting and slipped back, defensive. I heard a chuckle and blinked, looking at my smirking father. "Relax." I looked at the shadows as it formed something small. It had four long legs and a long, slim body of black. Its head was pointed, it seemed, making it faster, I was sure. A long tail with an arrow-shaped end joined its end. Bits of white were over its back and sides, and it took me a moment to realize that it was bone; a spine and ribs. It was not the skeleton of the dog that was now forming in black, but likely a type of armor for its bones. Its underside was decidedly red, as was its chin to its jaw. Long talons on its paws made it dangerous and bone-like horns like a bull completed its hellish look. It opened yellow eyes and stared at me.

I felt…I'm not sure what I felt. Appreciation? I had forgotten my own birthday, yet Father had remembered and created me something. Around its neck was a black band, obviously marking this beast as mine. I looked at Father again, and he tilted his head with curiosity. "Do you like it?"

"I do, Father. Thank you."

"It is not of consequence to me. Now, go to the camp. You should find yourself able to find him when you need him. Mm…what would you like to name him?"

I thought about it critically. "Well, your drakon is already named Aides, so I suppose I'll name him Cleomenes."

Father's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "Indeed," he murmured in regard to the drakon's name. It had been mother's idea. I ended the connection and left, sighing internally. I wouldn't be seeing Father as much, would I?

XxX

The campfire was enchanted. No matter how much cheer the fire portrayed, I still held a spark of black gloom in the flames. No one really noticed, other than perhaps Chiron. He kept looking at me, but I pretended not to notice. I could sense someone trying to tug on my aura and got up, following it out of curiosity. Whatever it was led me to a bathroom…quite the odd destination. I stepped inside and found myself face-to-face with that girl who had smirked at me previously. I tilted my head at her, curious to what she would try.

She must have sensed my curiosity, because she moved forward with a couple of other members who were smaller than her. It seemed she had a posse. "So, kid, you're new? It means you have to go through _orientation_."

"Orientation? I do not believe that I need such a thing. Learning things on my own has always been a strong point to my—GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" I had been approximately three words from finishing my sentence, but I had not the patience to wait that long before warning the two that had grabbed my arms. I had physical strength, but I wasn't going to use it yet. I saw the girl—those other two had called her Clarisse—getting behind me and she soon took me by my wrists, leading me into a stall while the other two laughed.

"So, kid, meet the toilets!"

"I warn you once more. Release me," I said calmly and the laughter faulted. They were used to begging, not orders.

"Not a chance!"

"This is my final admonishing."

"And this is mine!" Just as she was about to shove my head in, I felt my skin begin to sing, and I could see a dim light on the walls as my eyes glowed. I felt the sensation of light feathers dancing over my skin as suddenly I was released. I jumped to my feet, using one hand to hoist me up on the stall's side to watch as Clarisse began dunking her head into the toilet repeatedly with crazed laughter. Glancing at her posse, I saw what I wanted.

Fear.

XxX

Two hours found me in the forest beside the creek again. The doglike creature Father had created for me was lying behind me, letting me rest my head on one of the bare parts of its side. I stared at the stars, listening to people calling my name. I had assumed that the girl had been found by now. Certainly my spell of insanity had thrown everyone for a loop. I heard someone approaching and turned my eyes to eyes that reminded me of sweet grapes and pleasant wine. "Dionysus," I said in acknowledgement.

He glared at me without trying to hide it, sitting on a throne of vines that appeared out of the ground. "You do not attack my campers on my campgrounds without paying the price!"

"It was self-defense, and I was under the impression that you disliked the runts anyway?"

"Karen, you need to—"

"You know my name."

"Do not interrupt!" I was silent. "Good. Now, you simply don't invade someone else's territory and do what you want. You can't use your powers here, unless you want everyone to know you're not really a half-blood and cause a panic?"

Hmm. Indeed it would, not to mention that Father would be upset that I had not managed to retrieve his Helm thanks to a stupid mistake of mine. I sighed, and it seemed that Mr. D got the idea that I wouldn't be speaking any time soon. He got up, and I barely noticed when he left.


	4. Percy Jackson's Not so Mighty Arrival

_A/N: In case you can't tell from the title, FINALLY! I can't wait until I get through this fanfic, because it's going so well .^^ Also, my friend PercyJacksonFanDTS has made a really nice fanfic titled _The Search for Light_. Be sure to check it out sometime! I'm sorry about the short chapter, but I finished it up late and I figure everyone remembers the battle with the Minotaur. Be assured that the next chapter will be nice and lengthy._

**Chapter 4**

**Percy Jackson's Not-so-Mighty Arrival  
**

Some of you may ask when Perseus Jackson arrived. Of course, I was getting to that, but there was far more to this story than Perseus Jackson. In fact, the tale of Perseus Jackson is really focused on the struggles of Olympus than it is on Percy himself. You see, Percy was lucky. He was in the right place with the right moves and right patron. That's really all I have to say on that topic.

Some may also wonder how Clarisse and her posse got revenge. I can safely say they didn't. Being the children of Ares, they don't plan. Therefore, it's easy to predict their schemes and evade them. I'm rather certain that Clarisse didn't try anything, though. She steered clear when she could from embarrassment.

The changing of the seasons to spring and summer was rather bitter for me. It was now the time of Demeter, as mother was away from the Underworld for a while. I knew how lonely Father could get, but he still would not contact me first. He also seemed to be avoiding me as much as possible, ducking away from contact, ending it quickly, and other such tactics.

I sat by the creek for a while before moving to one of my favorite spots; a shady part in Thalia's tree. The branches were comfortable. And they concealed me unless someone looked straight up. As I remember, I was on the outer border because it was raining outside of the grounds. Half of Thalia's tree was unprotected.

Thalia had a bad story, one that I don't mind explaining as it was explained to me.

About 70 years ago, Zeus, Poseidon, and Father took an oath not to have anymore children (HAH! I was born before that!). Zeus did not stick to that and his half-blood child was running the streets with Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan (both of whom are still campers, even though I don't associate with them often) until Grover Underwood (a rather pathetic satyr if I do say so myself) found them and tried to get them to Camp Half-Blood. Naturally, monsters found them. Thalia was too powerful.

In any case, the idiot tried to hold off a group of monsters so the others could get behind the lines of the camp where they would be safe. Suffice it to say her effort failed. As she was about to die, her father, Zeus, turned her into a pine tree. She remained that way for five years before Perseus Jackson arrived.

Inside the borders of Camp Half-Blood, bad weather is not permitted. Storms go around the barriers of the camp. I, however, rather liked rain. Therefore, I sat on the half of Thalia that was in the rain. The water dripping through the leaves was a comfort. I looked at the sky, then down at the ground as a droplet of water found my eye.

A loud motor got my attention, as well as a dark presence that seemed somehow familiar to me. Peeking through the leaves, I watched a car swerve into a ditch. It flipped over as a lightning bolt of some sort struck it. Looking to the sky, I wondered if Zeus was using his powers to interfere. Although it was against the divine laws, it would not surprise me. He had a tendency not to play by the rules…even if they were his own. I looked at the three trying to get out of the car. One was Grover Underwood; I recognized the satyr. There was a human woman, and one who seemed to be young. This was probably the new demigod, and I would find out soon that this was actually Perseus Jackson, savior of Olympus. At this point, he really didn't look like he was that boy.

I shrank back into the shadows, feeling them cover me and hide me as I watched. Father seemed to have something hunkering following them as they crossed the land. "Alecto must not have been enough, if this was what he was supposed to take care of," I muttered. Many believed the furies to be female, but they really weren't. They actually had no gender, but I found it easier to call them male.

The hunkering figure was very top-heavy, and a flash of lightning revealed him to me. I growled low. The Minotaur. I hated him, with a passion. He was very violent and obeyed _only_ my father. He would kill me in a heartbeat! I shrank back further into my darkness, watching the shadow. I was paying no attention to whatever sounds were being made by the boy as my focus found the shadow running around. Well, not really around. Closer.

As the boy and his group started to come up the hill, they were attacked by the Minotaur. While Grover the satyr was cast aside easily and set at the end of the boundary lines, the Minotaur attacked the other two in a frenzy, charging them. They dove out of the way. Now, personally, I thought the mortal woman of the two was doing pretty damn good. She dove out of the way when necessary, as the Minotaur could not change directions in a charge. The boy was following her directions.

So, here came mistake number one. Partway through the battle, the Minotaur had a hold on the woman, and the boy was very angry. He tried to protect his mother, who disappeared anyway. I could sense her being taken captive by my father, and I tried to discern why, but too much was going on with such a thing.

My eyes tracked the boy as he defeated the Minotaur by stabbing it with…something. I didn't quite know what it was, but I did realize that this boy had yanked off its horn at some point. Sadly, the Minotaur wasn't happy as it dissolved, and I sensed it trying to reform in Tartarus. "Good luck," I muttered as I watched the boy drag the satyr Grover inside of the border. Surprisingly, they made it all the way to the farmhouse I had come to know as the Big House before suddenly, the boy passed out.

I knew that Chiron and Annabeth had him; the centaur and the demigod had already opened the door. Slipping back into the shadows, I felt a rush before I was back at the creek.

Perhaps this was a first, but I felt bad for the Minotaur. It was embarrassing to be defeated by such a weakling, especially for such an ancient monster from back in ancient Greece. I used a golden drachma for the umpteenth time, trying to contact my father. When he showed up, he suddenly seemed a bit panicked, which was very weird. He stared at me for a moment.

"Chrysanthe, I am busy and we will have to talk another time." Before I could protest, he waved his hand through the mist on his side and the connection ended.

From the shadows, his gift to me, Cleomenes, slipped to my side and nuzzled my head affectionately. "No, Cleomenes," I murmured, not wanting its affection right now. It continued trying to make me smile, but I pushed it away, finally using enough force that it skirted a few feet away before slowly, carefully returning and lying next to me. As I sat down heavily, trying to come up with my own explanations, I found myself reclining against a large rock. The warmth of Cleomenes's fur was a comfort, and I sniffed. There was nothing nearby.

Aside from the soulless form of Cleomenes, I was alone. I was always alone.


	5. A Conversation of Suspicion

_A/N: The last chapter was really short because I was tired and couldn't write at school. Although I forgot _Lightning Thief_ today, I'm going to write as much as I can since I generally wrote what I needed to last night to get through the class periods of today._

_Life has been crazy. I didn't post yesterday because I was out late with the band. However, I got a callback for Hairspray (the school musical) and we find out our parts on Wednesday. I'm scared of getting a lead…_

_Enjoy chapter five!_

**Chapter 5**

**A Conversation of Suspicion**

I knew I was being too nosy, and perhaps a bit creepy, but whenever I had time to devote to it, I would sneak into the new kid's room. Chiron had told us his name was Percy Jackson. I was certain that Percy was a nickname, but I would not find out for a while that his name was Perseus Jackson, named after the only hero who survived. It was quite a cruel joke there.

I leaned over him, studying him. He muttered something about someone needing to stop fighting, and I didn't back away, as he often spoke. I heard a voice from the doorway ask me, _"What are you doing?"_ My eyes found a blond teen who stared at me behind dark sunglasses.

"It makes no difference. What are you doing?"

"Running," the guy said on his way out the door. That was to be the first in a line of long meetings with this person.

I looked at Percy again, and noticed his eyes flutter open. I quickly was swallowed by shadow, and I watched him as he settled back into sleep. After a few moments when I knew he was asleep again, I slipped close again. He hadn't seen me, I was sure, as his dreams resumed. I sensed a dark power around him, and narrowed my eyes as I set a hand on his head to see what was going on inside of his mind—just a little glimpse—when a dark power knocked me back and said in a deep voice, _"This is not your right to intrude on, little girl."_

The power behind that voice made me start to sweat, and I quickly sank back into shadow, finding myself back at the creek. I sat still, attempting to think. Cleomenes snuggled up to me, worming its way into my lap. I absently pet it, rubbing along its neck and scratching behind its ears. It wiggled joyfully as I dragged a knuckle along the smooth bone of its back armor. Looking at Cleomenes, I found myself confident to make another call to my father, despite the failed attempt two days ago. I took out a golden drachma—he really owed me a lot of them anyway—and placed the call. Father was seated on his throne, obviously yelling at someone.

"—DID NOT DO AS I COMMANDED AND NOW THE THIEF HAS GOTTEN AWAY!"

"I'm sorry, my lord. However, the two children are at a military academy," I heard Alecto's voice answer humbly. Two children? Military academy?

"THE MINOTAUR HAD TO BE SENT OUT AND DESTROYED BECAUSE HE IS A STUPID BEAST! WHAT DO YOU—oh, hello, Chrysanthe."

"Hello, Father," I replied, blinking at him. Alecto perched behind father and sneered at me, but I was used to such mocking behavior from them. The other two were also sneering, until Father glanced at them and slammed a hand on his throne. The Furies took to the air screeching as they left the room. Father smiled at me from his seat and seemed to visibly relax now that no one was near him.

"What do you need?"

"Father, why have you been evading me?"

He shrugged. "I've been busy."

"With those two children?" Father's eyes grew hard, and I shrank back, even though he wasn't here. He was mad at me for asking, for prying, I was sure.

"I've. Been. Busy. Drop the subject, for if you have nothing better to speak of, then I will not speak with you."

"Yes, Father," I said quietly. The hound in my lap rolled onto its stomach, looking at Father with a tilted head, but Father didn't return his look. "There is a new boy here."

"Yes, Perseus Jackson. He is a half-blood, and I haven't a clue whose."

"Well, Father, though he is unclaimed, he is muttering in sleep of a fight of some sort and…" I wasn't sure if I should tell him.

"Go on," Father pressed, as he seemed interested. He was leaning forward now a little, intent on hearing me.

"Well…Something is protecting him. Something dark and powerful…It told me it wasn't my right to intrude on them…"

"And you left?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good," he replied, leaning back in his seat again. "The Underworld is starting to rebel because I have lost the helm," he muttered. "True, I am able to beat everyone down without it…but it does not hold everyone in fear. The skeletons here can only do so much, and Cerberus is beginning to get full on meat and souls."

"Do you need Cleomenes back?"

"No, the whelp wouldn't be able to help more than once, and I would prefer him to be where he is needed." I heard a deep bark and blinked.

"Is that…?"

"NO! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE? NO! BAD!" Hades started yelling as he ran from the image. "SHE'S NOT HERE! CALM DOWN!" I couldn't suppress a little smile; Father sounded like a child chastising a puppy.

Well, in essence, he _was_ chastising a puppy. Father reentered the image and sat on his throne. A three-headed image appeared over the back of it and large dog heads all barked in his ears. "One of these days," he threatened the dog.

Now, some of you may think that it's Cerberus, but you're wrong. Cerberus is actually very large and wouldn't even fit in father's throne room. Father can barely fit when he's at his full height, but today he was sticking to human height, as my familiar was taller than him.

I grinned and waved, and the dog started barking up a storm again. It tried to get over Father's throne and pawed him in the face at least twice before Father hoisted it over one shoulder and threw it out the window. I knew the dog wouldn't be harmed, so it was funny to watch Father get so flustered.

He looked at me again, and amusement drained from me at his expression. He settled himself in his throne again. "This is what I am talking about," he said. "Normally, I am feared and thus obeyed, but not this time. It is not so simple without my helm. We have a matter of days before the Summer Solstice, and then everyone goes to war…unless you find who did it because no one else will. Have you any suspects?"

"The entirety of the Hermes group, Annabeth Chase—child of Athena, she's smart enough—Clarisse of Ares, Charles of Hephaestus, Percy Jackson, Silena and Drew of Aphrodite, and the twins of Dionysus."

"What would Dionysus have to gain?"

"He holds a grudge for being separated from his wife and not being permitted his wine."

"Indeed. Aphrodite?"

"When _isn't_ she trying to start something?"

"Ares?"

"War. Plain and simple."

"Hermes?"

"Thieves."

"Hephaestus?"

"Well, producing illegal copies?"

"Athena?"

"It may have been a strategy to overthrow Zeus."

"Mm…" Father nodded. "You have good reasoning, but we should cut back. For instance, why wouldn't Demeter? She could gain revenge on me by blaming me for the disappearance of everything. Poseidon seems too obvious for my taste, though. We must find what is going on and quickly."

"Yes, Father. I am well aware of this."

"How is…your mother doing?" Father asked hesitantly.

"If it helps you at all, Father…I haven't seen her. She would not come to see me, and you know this."

"Right…I just wanted to know," he said quietly, looking at me with his eyes that reminded me of death, but not the death of others at this moment. The death of his happiness at the absence of two he loved. His loneliness. I frowned.

"Father," I started, but I couldn't find anything to stay. "Do you…want me to come home for a bit?" I managed.

He shook his head. "No. You have an important job to do. Watch the new boy and find who his father is. We will soon find who is to blame." He waved a hand through the mist that was letting him converse and ended our connection. I went back to the Big House to spy on the boy again, only to duck around the corner as I saw him talking with Grover. Percy held in his hands a box, and I could sense the Minotaur horn in it. I frowned, knowing that him holding such a trophy was quite embarrassing for the Underworld and all monsters that were reforming in Tartarus. The Minotaur was still a ways away from being able to fight again.

I saw them getting up and walking in my direction and immediately fled. I felt rather confused on behalf of everything. I suppose I shall explain what I mean.

First there was Alecto, claiming that the "two children" had been taken to a military academy. This scared me a bit; two children. I wasn't sure if they were half-bloods, mortals, immortals, or gods. This could be pegged as a concern, especially since I don't know whose they were or why Father would take an interest in them. He was defensive about it and wouldn't talk directly about it. So I knew I would have to coax it out of him.

Then there was Perseus Jackson. What role did he play? I could not determine it now, but there were reasons that he could have been the thief—he was in New York, he was a half-blood, he was unclaimed…So many reasons to suspect him.

And finally, there was the voice. It came from under me, either in the Earth or the Underworld. That scared me more than anything. Father said that he had been losing control, so I didn't want to believe him, really…But the evidence was there.

As I left the woods, Cleomenes now turning back to go to his safe place, I saw Annabeth rushing to…somewhere. As I followed to see, she was running to the Hermes cabin and I waited for a moment before realizing she must be preparing for Percy. I nodded to myself and shrank into shadow to see what was going on. I found myself under a table and blinked repeatedly. There were no shadows on the floor, as the floor was rather well-lit. I must have fallen from just under the table.

"—know how to play pinochle?" I heard Dionysus ask.

"I'm afraid not," some boy said quietly. This must be Percy.

"I'm afraid not, _sir_," Dionysus as I rolled my eyes.

"Sir."

"Well, it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all _civilized_ young men to know the rules." Oh boy. I was about to shrink back into the shadows again, but suddenly I was bound—away from the shadows—by vines of some sort.

Damn.

Dionysus knew the position I was in; talk and be discovered, or obey and just stay still. Making shadows come to me would likely ruin my position, too. I closed my eyes, focusing on the shadows that the vines created on me. I found the shadows start to cover me and melted into them, knowing that his vines couldn't follow me through my shadows without risking getting stuck.

My eyes found the sky, and I sighed as I watched serene clouds part and drift around the boundaries provided by Camp Half-Blood. My eyes found Luke, who was rushing back to the cabin. My eyes narrowed.

Something was up with the timing of everything. It was overly suspicious…


	6. A Hint to a God Father

_A/N: So, I'm really happy right now~! I got to finishing this for all of you. Merry Christmas! Also, I'm very grateful to PercyJacksonFanDTS, who gave me the entire Percy Jackson series in hardback for Christmas. YAY REFERENCE!_

**Chapter 6**

**A Hint to a God Father**

Blaine and I stood by the forest, a comfortable silence reigning as we watched Perseus Jackson go to the Hermes cabin with Chiron leading him there. Everyone was talking about him nearby. I could only tell because they were pointing at him every few seconds. This demigod annoyed me…a lot. It wasn't anything he had really _done_ so much as the other residents of the camp had. You see, he was considered a hero already because he had defeated the minotaur…with luck. I did not believe that skill allowed him to do that. Fighting was a base instinct for heroes, as I had learned. However, that did not mean they were invulnerable to injury and death. The only hero that had ever really survived was…Perseus. Not Jackson. Perseus. Well, I felt idiotic for just figuring out his namesake.

"Is that the new kid?" I heard someone say behind me.

Shadows reached out behind me, giving me a peek at the visitor. Familiar blond hair and sunglasses alerted me that I somewhat knew him. He wore dark blue jeans, a shirt of the same color, and a black jacket. I didn't care much about his shoes, because they never had a tendency to matter unless in a fight. I noted that he was leaning on the tree that I was leaning on, and he was moving so he was next to me. If I wasn't slightly taller than him, he would probably be leaning over me.

"I would assume so," I replied finally. As he came even with me, I turned my head to study him closer. What caught my attention was a golden cross hanging from his neck. It interested me, though I was not quite sure why.

"Hm…So that's him…"

"Him?" I questioned, looking at the teen in his…sunglasses.

"What? You think I'm going to tell you everything, kid?" A flare of anger rose in me at the name, and the teen grinned at me. "I'm Jolt, by the way." He held up a hand as he suddenly disappeared little by little starting at his feet, a breeze escaping the forest and sweeping through the camp.

I was a bit confused. I looked at Blaine, but the satyr shrugged. "I haven't a clue who he was. Never seen him before in my life." He and I had been able to connect over the winter and spring, and by now he could tell my questions before I asked. "Hey, I'm going to go take a little nap in the forest. I'll see you at dinner," he said with a mischievous grin. I rolled my eyes. He had this little joke that I couldn't stay throughout dinner.

I couldn't.

I waited for him to be in the woods before I turned to the woods and entered, nursing a forming headache. A new demigod. Horrible. I found my way to the creek, sitting beside a spray of mist that formed a rainbow when a cloud didn't block the sun. I took a deep breath of the air, felt the warmth. My skin was cool, I had been told. And I knew my skin was becoming darker with my prolonged exposure to the light of this world. It was very annoying…

I focused on my breathing, and soon, thought was blocked from me. I lost complete track of my surroundings. Finally, a nip to my neck brought me out of my trance. I jumped away to find Cleomenes sitting just behind where I was. His head was tilted at the mist, which was glowing blue. The sun was setting; I was running out of time, it seemed. I fumbled in my pocket for a golden drachma, and as the image formed after my offering, Cleomenes tried to go through it, to make the message end and the mist disperse. I took hold of one of the bone coverings to his ribs, and he could go no further. He was in a frenzy. I didn't know why, and it worried me. I looked to the mist, and saw not my father, but a void. That voice spoke to me.

"_You do not sleep, young goddess! That makes it very difficult to contact you."_

"No, I don't away from home," I said in reply. It was true; I only felt mildly safe at home.

"_Ah, but it's only when your father's there, isn't it? You hide behind him, hoping he'll be proud of your loyalty."_

"That is inaccurate. My fathe protects me on occasion from things beyond my powers, and I depend on him to improve my power. It is by a similar format of operation that a student is taught."

"_Ah, but Hades is my oldest son and the greatest disappointment."_

"Wait…Father is your son?"

"_Yes, and I know how to give you power that will help your father rise and make him more proud than you ever thought he could be of you."_

As I look back on it, I am disappointed to say that the offer of Kronos, my grandfather, was enticing enough to blind me to the evil and manipulation he would bring. My attention fell on Cleomenes's dark, pleading eyes. They made me question if my father would let me do it. His judgment had always been right.

"Well, I could learn in my free time," I said softly, hesitantly. Cleomenes whimpered, as if asking me to take it back, but I didn't pay attention to him.

"_Send away the beast. He is not to overhear."_ I heard Cleomenes growl at the order, rows of powerful teeth snapping at the image. I didn't want to send him away. Frankly, he reminded me enough of Father to keep me comfortable.

"Surely he can't do anything to you."

"_Do you disobey me?"_ the voice asked coldly, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, as I have not sworn any type of fealty to you and your cause. It is simply paranoia that you hold. There is nothing he can do to you. I refuse to work with those who are too focused on being found out if they mess up…at all."

Pain shot through my body, and I felt myself trying to defend against it. I curled up tightly, but it didn't help very much.

"_A WEAK CHILD LIKE YOU DARES TO DEFY ME?"_

"Yes, she does," a familiar voice said close to my ear as the pain melted away and my tense muscles loosened and relaxed. Warm hands pressed against my back. "She is part of my realm, not yours, and I know she will not be taken to your ideals when she finds your true motives."

"_Ah, you're still bitter, I see…"_

"Hard not to be after you ate me at birth, Father." My mind swam, trying to grasp meaning and failing as a heavy curtain threatened to collapse on my mind. Darkness enveloped me as the strength I always possessed was drained from me, forcing me to sleep and allowing my body and soul to recover.

XxX

When I came to, it was night. Cleomenes must have decided to sleep on top of me, as his body was draped heavily over mine. I knew he was among the living because he snored. I rolled onto my back from my side and felt his rib-armor sticking into my stomach. I groaned. "Cleomenes…off." As the canine-like beast wiggled off of my stomach, I sat up. I had a bit of a headache and understood that someone had forced me to sleep. I did a quick check of my condition; I was fine. Nothing had attempted to harm me during my rest. Then came the problem of how long I had rested. I had no clue. Getting up, I looked at Cleomenes. "Can you tell me how long I've been under?"

The powerful tail on the beast carved the answer into the sand. One hour? Actually, I had expected to be under longer. I closed the ground, the grass growing back as it was. A tug came on the edge of my mind, but I ignored it. It wouldn't get to me right now.

I rose to my feet, melding with the shadows to find what had been going on. Whispers came to me, telling me what I had missed, and then I heard voices. They were familiar.

"_Erre es korakas!"_

My mind raced. I tried to remember what that meant, as it was a rare occurrence where I had to use Greek. Father was kind enough to speak in Latin, as that was my native language.

_Crows,_ I grasped. _Something about crows. Erre…From 'to go.' Go to the crows? Ouch._ I knew the insult and its implications well. It meant the same as approximately "go to Hell" for humans. I focused my attention there, the shadows concealing me in a side stall of the bathroom so I could listen to everything go on. I drew my feet up to put them on the toilet seat, crouching as opposed to sitting. I could get into the shadows faster if I was ready to jump, after all.

"_You don't stand a chance." _Annabeth. Some days (such as today), it was amusing to listen to her. Well, not to obey, but just to hear what she had to say…

"_We'll pulverize you."_ Clarisse paused as she said this, and I somewhat wondered if she was remembering her last trip here. _"Who's this little runt?"_

"_Percy Jackson, meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares."_

"_Like…the war god?"_ Wow. This kid had reached a new level of…ahh, how to put it?…stupid.

"_You got a problem with that?"_ Clarisse didn't sound particularly happy for her father to be discounted.

"_No. It explains the bad smell."_ Now, this may just be me, but insulting the child of the war god and the war god himself at the same time was not an overly good decision. Am I the only one who believes this?

"_We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."_

"_Percy."_

"_Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."_

I listened to a moment of Clarisse and Annabeth arguing before Clarisse seemed to get Percy into the stall next to me. I leaned up, watching as the dark-haired kid thrashed and fought. I shook my head.

"_Like he's 'Big Three' material. Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."_ I knew the Minotaur had to be brought up, but that…just kind of pissed me off. I felt the sensation of a snake coiling around me as my shadow shifted to slither along my skin. I grit my teeth and completely relaxed as every emotion drained from me.

My eyes surveyed the scene much more relaxedly, and I focused less. As Perseus's head was pushed toward the toilet, my eyes widened. Just in time, I leaped back into the shadows and surveyed in safety as the bathroom flooded, water from the pipes exploding and drenching…well, everyone except for me and Perseus. Annabeth did _not_ look happy at this development, and that amused me more than anything else.

I let myself go back to the edge of the forest, leaning on a tree. The nymph of said tree looked at me before going back to what she had been doing. She knew I wasn't going to aimlessly harm the tree, unlike most unclaimed kids that wanted nothing more than to attract attention to themselves.

_Water or metal?_

This was the only thing in my mind all the way until dinner. I contemplated who his godly parent (likely his patron) may be, and who it really couldn't be. He could either manipulate metal or water, and that narrowed it down to Hephaestus and Poseidon mostly. There were also minor gods and goddesses to monitor, but there wasn't much to do about this right now.

If his father was Poseidon, chaos was going to erupt on Olympus…and I was dreading the thought of things becoming even worse.


	7. The Story of the Oracle

_A/N: Life…is so…busy. I want to get as far as I can during the Christmas break, because then I have to freakin' do the school musical, which is going to take up a LOT of time…Ah well. I'll take my laptop to write on those days._

_And then, of course, jazz band…ugh._

_Umm…if my band teacher actually reads this…eh heh. Sorry. I'm doing jazz band, still! And happy band fun time! Yay! …I think._

_I know, short chapter. Apologies. There isn't much material for dinner with _Lightning Thief_, so I don't really know what you all expect xD_

**Chapter 7**

**The Story of the Oracle**

Blaine and I went to dinner together, splitting when we were close and he paused before following me so we didn't seem to be friends. As it was, I wasn't sure if I was to call it a friendship anyway. He said we were friends, but I had never held a friend before. If I dared call him friend, I knew I would lose him, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that either. I sat at the Hermes table and offered the meal to my father, as I didn't quite like eating.

I watched as Percy did what he had been instructed to do, offering some of his meal to the gods, hoping to be claimed as their child. I did and didn't understand what he was going through. You see, I was claimed by my father, and my back ached at the memory of that moment. Of course, I had also known my father for the entirety of my lifetime. However, I did not feel overly connected with him. He was not nice by any means, and he was easily claimed to be evil. I could not bring myself to dislike him, just a few of his judgments…A sort of longing to be accepted by him was a permanent feature in my disposition.

In any case, I waited until he had sat down. Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof so everyone would be silent. Dionysus stood, and I sighed as I knew I had to listen to him.

"Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels." Ah, cheering from Ares table. Blah. "Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson." At the correcting mumble of Chiron, he amended, "Er, Percy Jackson. That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

I went to the campfire from curiosity, nothing more. Everyone was cheering as we went on our way there, but I really didn't care. Apollo's cabin led the sing-along, as per always, and the campers sang some stupid things about the gods and whatever other nonsense came with the camp. Everyone was loosening up, and I really didn't care to watch everyone's reactions to my rare presence. The fire was cheerful tonight, despite the dark spark that fizzled out every so often from how depressing my mood was in the face of so many happy, cheerful souls.

Finally, as the conch blew, I retreated to the woods, sitting at the creek with little difficulty. Some beasts came to me, attracted by my power, then dispersed when they realized who I was. But this was normal. I sighed, fishing a golden drachma from my pocket. I tossed it into the spray from the water and called out my father's name and address. Unfortunately, I was not pleased with what I saw.

Father was in the Fields of Asphodel, which were burning. I tried to move the image and see what he was fighting against with his staff, but I failed at this attempt. I saw fire pass him, and realized he was at his full height. He fought against a drakon that reached almost his height in his full twenty-foot glory. The two were struggling, and I think I may have made a sound, for instantly the drakon was dissolving and Father drew his staff across where I was, eyes cold as he seemed to be telling me not to intrude on the Underworld…

To this day, I am not sure what scared me about his eyes. Perhaps it was the heartlessness that I had known when I was claimed, but it certainly wasn't filling me with happiness as seeing my father normally did…

XxX

At the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood that night, I spied a figure of grace and beauty among the trees. I exited the borders, glaring at the woman with as much loathing as I could muster. "Mother, you should contact Father. He is worried," I said scathingly, angry at her for the pain she caused my Father in her absence. Though the one I should be angry with is truly Demeter…

"Chrysanthe, I came to tell you something, and that is all I will do," she said quietly, sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree. I sat on the trunk next to her, considering it wouldn't do to hurt myself on the stump that remained. "It was many years ago…well, for mortals. When you were but twenty, your father was gone from your life for several years. Do you remember that?" I nodded. It was perhaps some of my most painful years. "Well, during that time, he had a mortal woman that he had fallen for. Don't interrupt! I do not lie. Her name was Maria di Angelo.

"Now, your uncle, Zeus, passed a law that demigod children of him, Hades, and Poseidon were not to be born. At the time, Hades loved Maria di Angelo, despite the fact that she would die." I was about to protest the reality of such a tale, but my mother's expression made me stop.

"The Oracle was a beautiful maiden at that time. She had warned your father many times that something horrible would happen, and shortly after the law was passed, Zeus destroyed the building that Maria di Angelo lived in. Maria di Angelo was killed, and Hades swore vengeance. He also cursed the Oracle that she could no longer live in a new body.

"Because of this, I beg of you, my golden flower…Do not go to the Oracle of Delphi, even if told to! She hates your father, and she will know that he spawned you. Something horrible will happen, I feel it."

"Just as you feel something horrible would happen if you spoke with Father now?" I questioned dryly. I held strong disdain for my mother, which was perhaps a near-fatal mistake on my part now that I review this fact of my hatred. Regardless, I left without listening to anything else my mother said. That was the beginning of a festering hatred that brewed for her.

"You know, she's your blood. You shouldn't abandon her like that," I heard a mildly familiar voice say near me. I glanced over my shoulder, glaring at Jolt with eyes that I was almost sure glowed with hatred.

"It's nothing you would understand!" I said to him, needing to take out my frustration at such a preposterous tale on someone.

"Really, now? You don't like your mother. You want to be daddy's little girl because he's perfect. He has a flaw, and now you're angry at that thought, because it means that you aren't perfect either."

"You're…wrong," I offered, though I had no other counter. He just waited, taking off his sunglasses to reveal hard blue eyes that studied me as though he was seeing me for the first time, trying to knock sense into me. Bah! "Your logic is off. There is no reason to consider anyone perfect. Gods make mistakes."

"Just like humans."

"Shut up!" I yelled at him, though I knew my anger had just gotten the best of him. I sent a hard blast of destruction at him, and he just ducked, looking at me pointedly.

"Just take it easy on your mother." He dissolved into the wind again, and I growled. This was such an annoyance!

First, I hear a damn fairy tale about something my father obviously didn't do, then this Jolt boy returns to lecture me that I should be nice to my mother?

I _hated_ the mortal world…


	8. Perseus Jackson is Claimed

_A/N: So…I am very…VERY angry right now. I had intended chapter 8 to be a long chapter because chapter 7 had been short. However, halfway through my work, the program closed and never saved, so I had to start all over again…Suffice it to say, I am not a happy camper right now…_

**Chapter 8**

**Perseus Jackson is Claimed**

Perseus Jackson was a jack of all trades. He couldn't really do anything. Wrestling? Pinned in seconds. Archery? Everyone clear out of the way. I think Chiron's hair had once been a victim before they told Percy not to shoot anymore arrows. It was suggested to me by Blaine that maybe he was a child of Hermes, but something struck me that it was a false accusation. Frankly, that incident in the bathroom told that it wasn't so. I was watching the Hermes cabin in the early hours as they all trudged to the sword-fighting ring, tired from the early hour. I noted that Perseus was with them, but didn't move to follow because I felt a rush of wind sweep past me.

I turned and watched as Jolt formed with his sunglasses on, leaning on the nearest tree. "What do you want, Jolt?"

"Nothing much, Chrysanthe. Just a talk."

"How do you know my name?" I questioned suspiciously. Generally, if someone knew my name, it wasn't a good thing. Father and mother knew my name, as well as the gods and goddesses. Otherwise…no one had a clue who I was. The campers didn't really know my name because Dionysus called me _Karen_, which annoyed me to no end.

"Easy, Chrysanthe." Jolt held up his arms, and I prepared for a monster to attack me or something to hurt Father without being dumb enough to attack him directly. "I just wanted to give you this." From his pocket, he drew a dull, rusted cross. Now, if anything before had been an insult to me, _this_ was perhaps the worse. He held it out to me, and I stared at him then shook my head.

"It's a gift, take it." I still refused. Finally, Jolt sighed and slipped behind me with the speed of a raging wind and it was around my neck, all in perhaps a human's second. I became aware of darkness surrounding me at the moment, and I could see someone in odd armor. As I could recall, it was the armor of the British knights. However, this armor was not the steel that I remembered. It was silver, polished to shine. Under the helmet, I couldn't tell what was in that darkness.

"_Hello. Are you the one trying to accept my power?"_ the knight asked courteously. At least, I assumed it was the knight.

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about," I said bluntly. I heard the knight chuckle.

"_I am the Knight. I suppose I should test you now."_

The knight launched forward, and I felt heat over my heart as he seemed to place a hand on whatever was there before I was sucked into this darkness. Looking down at what he was examining, I saw the rusted cross as it began to glow. Heat began to form, and it hurt. I was a being of darkness, and this cross was of light. Soon, however, it began to absorb my shadows, and suddenly, everything was clear. Sure, this had taken a bit more time than I had described, but I was soon looking directly at Jolt, whose hands were holding me up a bit awkwardly, as if he didn't know where to hold on to me. I assumed it would be easier if I was male, but I didn't care.

As soon as he saw I was steady, he let me go. He looked down at the necklace and grinned. I wondered what was so amusing and glanced down. Hanging from my neck on a black cord was a silver crescent moon. I plucked it up to examine it and felt the cold metal. Hm. It wasn't too bad, but…

A sharp ringing pierced the quiet, thick tension. I blinked as Jolt pulled a sleek phone from his pocket. My eyes found that it was blue with silver and gold lightning bolts. An interesting design. Jolt put the phone to his ear, listened for a moment, then tossed it to me. I blinked, catching it with a few grabs. "Err…Hello?"

"_Chrysanthe, why is your phone off?"_

"Because we're not technically supposed to have them here," I said, blinking at my father's voice as I turned my back to Jolt for some modicum of privacy.

"_You know, I bought you that thing for a reason, and when I actually need you to answer, you don't…" _he trailed off with a line of profanities in Latin, Greek, and other languages that he knew. I paused, waiting patiently.

"Father, why do you have this mortal's phone number?"

"_Half-mortal, Chrysanthe. Have enough decency to give him _that_ much credit. In any case, he's been doing some work for me. I figured I would send him to find you, but it looks like he already has."_

"Father, have you sent him to me before?"

"_No, why do you ask?"_

"He's been hanging around here."

"_Ah. Well, in any case, you need to turn on your phone in the case that I need your attention in some matter where you aren't near any mist."_

"What did you need, Father?"

"…_Nothing more than to know you are well."_

"Ah. Well, mother spoke to me," I offered. There was a moment's pause.

"_What did she tell you?"_ Father's voice was carefully blank, as though he was trying to be unreadable.

"She told me some stupid fairy tale of you having a human lover when the laws were passed."

"_Do you believe her?"_

"No, should I?"

"_You should not. That was a cheap little…"_ he trailed into cursing again. Seeing that he really had nothing more to say, he must have hung up. I shut the little flip-phone and sighed.

When I turned around, Jolt was chuckling. He pat me on the head-damn him for being taller!-and started to dissolve into the wind, plucking up his phone at the last second. "Use the necklace when you need it. You'll know how."

I know I was being cynical, but use a _necklace_? What would it do, make people want to buy it and leave me alone? Bah.

I headed to the arena, hoping to get my mind off of everything. At the moment, they were pairing up to spar, and I noted that Luke watched my entrance. I made it clear that I wasn't interested by going into the seats and sitting down to watch. Watching held more interest than doing at the moment.

I sighed. When everyone's attention was back on Luke, I reached into my pocket and pulled a sleek black cell phone from it. I opened it, holding the power button. It buzzed with vibrations, as I didn't like the sound on my phone. From the pocket, I also pulled out a wireless earpiece so that I could keep it as hidden as possible. I hooked it over my ear, my fingers running over the demon wing design. On my phone, I had chosen a skin (as mortals called it) featuring silver crescent moons against the black of the phone. It shone in my pale hand, and I sighed as I slipped it back into my pocket. I felt it vibrate and pressed a button on the side, brushing my hair over my ears to conceal the earpiece inconspicuously.

"_Good, you turned it on."_

"I did, Father," I said quietly, slipping into a relaxed posture that placed my hands in front of my mouth, fingers laced. This would easily conceal the appearance of me talking to someone.

"_Are you around people?"_

"I'm watching a sword practice. I know I need more practice, but a sword is not my weapon of choice…"

"_Indeed…you know, your scythe is here."_

"I will summon it when it is needed."

"_Have you found out more about this Perseus Jackson?"_

"I am assuming him to be the child of one of two gods, though I may be incorrect…"

"_Who would you suspect?"_

"Hephaestus…or Poseidon." The sky rumbled with my comment of the names, and my accusation of the two of them. For Hephaestus, the insult wasn't so bad, but for Poseidon, it was the same thing as calling him a traitor for he would have to go around the oath. However, as I glanced up at the fight, I noted that they had stopped for a short break. Percy was pretty badly beat up. He dumped some ice water on his head, and I was stunned to see that his cuts and bruises were beginning to close and fade.

"I suspect Poseidon more," I offered as Father chuckled.

"_Why is that? He is the more noble of my brothers."_

"A few things that have happened here."

"_Ah. Well, if it is Poseidon's, we may never find out…lest Poseidon be ready to be blasted by our youngest sibling."_

"I realize this."

"_We will talk later. Keep the phone on."_

There was a click in my ear as the line disconnected. I glanced up just in time to see Luke's sword get flung out of his hand. I blinked. He had disarmed Luke and had him pinned with a sword at his chest. Well, he was a better fighter than I gave him credit for. Upon a repeat of the situation, Percy lost. I contemplated how he held the sword uncomfortably.

He needed a better weapon…

XxX

I will never understand why capture the flag amuses the children so much. It's a downright stupid game. I was forced to tag along anyway this time…Dionysus threatened me. I knew my position; get the Ares flag because Hermes had aligned with Athena. I wasn't exactly given a _job_, so much as to follow the others' lead. I would probably just fight a few idiots and sit to the side, letting everyone else have their fun. The teams this time were Athena and Ares.

"Heroes!" Chiron yelled, interrupting my thoughts, "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

I armed myself with nothing but a bronze sword and dark clothing. Sure, my hair would give away my position, but I never really cared for armor. Too restricting. We were not using celestial bronze, so I wouldn't be wounded. I wasn't worried. My eyes fell on Dionysus, who waved at me tauntingly because I was technically against his kids. Fun.

I was part of the "blue team," which meant I was supposed to wear a blue helmet. I didn't bother. As I pushed ahead of everyone else, I found myself ambushed by seven or eight Ares kids. I knew they were actually from Ares, as I had seen them in that cabin a multitude of times. I moved quickly, knocking out three in an instant, slicing the plume from the helmet of another before sapping youth from another until they collapsed. I knew he would recover with sleep, but until then…

My body moved quickly to kick the last one in the face and soon I was standing amongst the knocked-out remnants of the Ares cabin. Well, minus Clarisse and the last five or six kids.

I heard whooping and went to investigate, also hearing a growl. In my head, I heard that voice. _"Command the hell hound to stand down until everyone is near…"_ I blinked, but found the hound and held it back as I watched Perseus Jackson alone for a moment.

Then the last of the Ares kids arrived.

I tilted my head as I sat in the trees, the hell hound on my lap. I was petting it absently, as I spoiled all hounds and dog-like creatures of the Underworld. I watched everything; Perseus Jackson sidestepped the first swing, but was then surrounded and hit with Clarisse's electric spear. I smirked to myself at that. The spear could do a lot of damage. She got it from her father, who obtained it in a trade with my father years back. I recognized the spear quite well.

I knew the Ares kids were laughing as Percy fell to the ground, but I couldn't hear it. I was too far away. Percy said something to them when he was disarmed, and I winced as two people came toward him. Bad thing to say, apparently. Clarisse nailed him with the spear, and one of the others gave him a gash in the arm. I could sense that he was becoming drained of energy, and halfway wondered if he would die there. He was pushed into the creek.

I remembered the effects of water on him, and was not disappointed. The cut on his arm closed up, and he seemed to regain all of his energy. I straightened my head before tilting it the other way, leaning forward with interest.

Percy hit one with the flat of his sword, the helmet flying off as he crumpled into the water. Two more came at him, and he sheared off the plume of one while his shield smashed into the face of the other. They backed up. Clarisse continued her assault while the last one stayed back. During one thrust, Percy grabbed the staff with his shield and sword and snapped it in half. The sizzling tip landed in the rocks as Clarisse looked angrier than ever. Percy smacked her between the eyes with the butt of his sword and she stumbled back.

Then Luke won the game for Hermes. Hmm. I wouldn't be joining in the next game, I was sure. The hound shifted restlessly on my lap, and I smiled. "Soon," I whispered, watching everyone.

Clarisse yelled out that it was a trick, though I wasn't entirely sure about that. Good strategy, Athena cabin. The banner changed from Ares to Hermes, and I straightened my head again. Chiron arrived and blew the conch. The game was officially over.

Percy stepped out of the water, and seemed tired. I smiled. "Go," I whispered to the hound, and it growled. It howled, and I knew that gave it the adrenaline rush that added power. I shifted so I was standing next to it, concealed in the forest. Cheering and celebration ended, while Chiron readied his bow and yelled at everyone to stand ready. The hound had circled around, and was now on the rocks above them, snarling and growling.

Annabeth tried to defend Percy, but I smirked with a cruel amusement as the hound attacked him. It shredded through his armor, but was hit with arrows. It fell, starting to melt back to the shadows. That one was a particular type, and naturally, someone claimed it was from the Fields of Punishment. No, this was one from the palace of Hades. I knew it well.

I was approaching, but stopped at the tree line. Chiron had claimed someone had summoned it, but I hadn't done so. Just now approaching would not be the best course of action. Clarisse yelled that it was Percy who had summoned it.

Percy was sent back to the water, by Annabeth, it seemed. I noted a green glow above his head and nearly fell back with shock. I melted into the shadows to tell Father of the development, needing to see him in person for this one.

A green trident.

The bastard was a son of Poseidon!


	9. A Sour Visit With a Bitter Oracle

_A/N: This is the chapter that I know PercyJacksonFanDTS has been waiting for. I told him about it and a plan I had for it a month ago, and he's been fidgeting, wanting my to get to it already. I know him well enough to know that one lol._

**Chapter 9**

**A Sour Visit With a Bitter Oracle**

Father raged as I reported the information to him. Sure, he would have found out soon enough, but it was best to be there for this one. It would be very amusing. I watched as he yelled curses at his brother, who may even be able to hear him. This raised the suspicion of Poseidon's involvement, but something still didn't sit right with me. It was virtually guaranteed that he held the Helm and the Master Bolt, but that just…bothered me. I would have to examine Perseus Jackson, as he may hold it…yet he may not. At least…this was how I forced myself to think around Father.

"Father," I said quietly, hoping to gain his attention, but he was still fuming.

"FATHER!" I yelled, a rare occasion that I raised my voice at the man. He stopped mid-word. "Someone from the camp summoned Maximius."

"Maximius?" Father questioned, intrigued. He sat down on his throne, relaxing now as he stroked the short beard on his chin in thought. "Mm…did they peg him as a Fields of Punishment mongrel again?"

"Yes, Father."

"Not surprising. They never believe that the larger beasts are in my palace. Regardless…we need to find out who did this. Are you willing to go back to the camp?"

"If you so command, Father."

"Good. I so command."

"Yes, Father." I bowed to him and slipped into the shadows from which I had appeared. I was back in the forest, but face-to-face with Dionysus. His arms were crossed as he glared down at me. "I didn't summon the hell hound, I was informing Father of the events of today."

"Which could just as easily be done with an Iris message."

"Without drachma, I can't do much of anything. Now, if you'll excuse me…" I made a move to leave, but vines wrapped around my legs.

"What are you really doing here, Christina?"

I glanced down at the vines holding me in place, then looked at Dionysus. "I don't believe I need to tell you, Dino. Let me go."

"You know my name."

"And you know mine!"

"You're acting childish."

"In a sense, I _am_ a child, in other senses not." I conjured my scythe quickly, cutting through the vines. Before any more could grab me, I leaped, hovering above the ground on a mass of shadows. It took a lot of background concentration for that. "Kindly leave me alone. I'm not going to give up my reasons for being here." The shadows swallowed me, and I was at the edge of the forest, watching the move of Perseus Jackson to the Poseidon cabin.

XxX

Seriously, how bad could the Oracle be? Sure, students had horror stories and mother believed the spirit to be powerful and dangerous. But I was a full goddess, and I wasn't a coward. Plain and simple. There was no way I was backing down from this kind of thing. As I slipped the newspaper I had been reading under the door of cabin three, I quickly found myself going toward the Big House. Dionysus was on Olympus to check the wine stock, and I took advantage of this. I went inside and up to the attic, where I had been told the Oracle was.

Looking around the attic, I found myself rather at-home. It was dark, musty, and cluttered. I could fit in here amongst the shadows and memories. Glancing at the mummy in the corner, I wasn't overly surprised. Its tie-dye dress didn't go with its dark, leathery skin, nor did the pouch around its neck. Regardless, I approached it. I knew that it would be attracted to my presence, as it had a bit of a grudge with my father from what he had told me a long time ago. Seconds after I halted-merely a foot from its wilted form-green mist poured out of the mouth and surrounded me. I did not struggle, as I was sure this was the process of things..

"_I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Ask, young goddess, and I shall answer."_

"How will my quest carry, Oracle?" I asked in a firm voice, holding back my concern as it came closer to my face, probing my aura. I did not have a quest assigned apart from my father's, so I wondered if it would realize that. Suddenly, the mist enveloped me, and the voice entered my head. I clutched at my ears, trying to block out the power behind the voice and the horror behind the visions in my mind.

"_Goddess, satyr, and demigod shall answer their cry."_

"GET OUT OF ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled, though I couldn't hear myself over the rush of power entering my ears. I felt as though my power was being sapped from me, and I knew I was thrashing, crashing into things. Knick-knacks and miscellaneous objects scattered across the floor, and in my haste to escape this mist, I stumbled and tripped on them, crashing to the floor.

"_The rise from below is what he will try."_

I felt myself struggling against the mist on the floor, but I couldn't escape. No matter how I moved, it followed me. I couldn't hear myself over it, and I wondered if someone else could. I clawed at my ears, my head, anything I could reach to attempt inflicting pain on myself, to know I was still in my body.

"_One of the three will aid him to his goal."_

"Stop…" I thought I said. I couldn't hear anything, and I didn't know if I was even making sound as I begged for it to end. A sort of glow entered into the green, it was gold, and it was safe. I was trying to back away from the mist, falling, crawling, running, stumbling, scrambling…just moving. I found myself pressed into a corner, nowhere to go but back to the Oracle. My head slammed against the wall, hoping with some sort of insanity that the Oracle would find me to be without interest by inflicting pain on myself as much as possible.

"_And the group shall return, ending much less than whole."_

Hands in front of me defensively, I knew I was panting, really loud. I could sense someone approaching, someone warm, the light in the darkness. I wanted my darkness, my loneliness, my empty shadows. They were _safe_. This world of light was dangerous. I wanted my monsters back, the guards to my soul.

"Sorry, Kid. She doesn't really like your father."

"L-leave me alone…" I said weakly, still trying to recover my defenses. I felt a warm hand on my arm, trying to pull my hands away from my face. I could feel my golden blood on my hands. "GET OFF OF ME!" I yelled at the warmth, suddenly swallowed by the shadows.

I didn't know where I was going. I was suspended in darkness for a bit before I was suddenly spit back out, rolling into the creek. The hound that Father had gifted me with leaped in to drag me out. It took what seemed like an hour. I was paralyzed; I couldn't move. The hound licked at my already-healing wounds, and I let it. I was soon healed, but the ache in my head was still immense. The pain that came with clawing at yourself was still there, as pain would not fade even after I was healed. The nerves were still damaged, and for how long I did not know.

I curled up defensively, hands still covering my face. I knew my body was shuddering, but I couldn't bring myself to hold back a rare emotion.

Fear.

I had expected Cleomenes to curl up next to me, but I found myself pulled into someone's lap. Their skin was warm, heartbeat subtle. I pressed my head against the stranger's chest comfortably. I knew who it was, but I didn't. I don't know how to explain how I felt at that moment.

"_Hush, my child,"_ I heard the quiet, low voice whisper in my ear. And I listened to him, heart still pounding with the adrenaline of my encounter with the Oracle.

I would never return there again.

XxX

When morning rolled around, I slipped into the shadows, appearing outside of the Big House to be sure I hadn't dreamed what had happened. I had left Cleomenes staring at me attentively. I still felt the warmth of being held in my cool body. I wondered if that person had ever let me go over the night. Apparently they did.

I met Dionysus's gaze, and he glared at me. "I'm expecting Peter. You'd better get to hiding," he muttered, obviously annoyed with my appearance. He knew I had been spying on Percy? Hmm. I slipped under the porch so I could hear through the wooden boards while Chiron questioned if it was wise to let me listen in. Dionysus waved him off on it just as Grover and Percy arrived. I heard them join the two older. "Well, well. Our little celebrity," Dionysus greeted. "Come closer," he continued after a moment, "and don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." A rumble of thunder shook through the area. "Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said in reply. "If I had my way, I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion _is_ a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron chimed in.

"Nonsense. Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father." I was inclined to agree with the wine god for once.

"Mr. D-" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right. There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." I heard Dionysus stand up and his cards hit the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do." I heard a snap of fingers and sensed that Dionysus was gone, leaving a lingering scent of grapes and wine fumes.

"Sit, Percy, please," I heard Chiron say. "And Grover." There was a bit of shuffling while they did. "Tell me, Percy. What did you make of the hell hound?"

"It scared me," I heard Percy answer, "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead." Indeed he would have been.

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done…with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

"Um, sir, you haven't told me what it is yet."

"Well, that's the hard part, the details." However, even I was interested in the details. I heard thunder rolling, as if offering their support on this matter.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said, "They're fighting over something valuable…something that was stolen, aren't they?"

"How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And…I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover chimed in.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron said stiffly.

"But it is his quest! It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine," I heard Chiron say. I shuddered as the memory flashed through my mind. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

"A _what_?"

"Do not take this lightly. I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh." That was _all_ he had to say? _OH_? That undermined things a little bit.

"Zeus's Master Bolt." I could hear Chiron's tone getting more feverish. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the Master Bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron corrected.

"By who?"

"By _whom_. By you. At least, that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his Master Bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't-"

"Patience and listen, child." This was a bit concerning if there was to be a quest to find the Master Bolt. I hadn't a clue that things had become so hostile on Olympus. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makes of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the Master Bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" The sky rumbled and I smirked. I wasn't the only one who thought so? Good. Just not his best idea to say it aloud. Except for the fact that Poseidon stealing items was unprecedented, this was all logical. Sibling rivalry could easily have them pointing the finger and making no headway on any of this.

"Er, Percy…?" Grover said, and I could sense the nervous tone in his voice. "We don't use the _c_-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps _paranoid_. Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…"

Well, this was beginning to bore me, so I slipped into the shadows for the time being, returning to the forest, where Luke seemed to be waiting for me. "Hey, what's going on with the private meeting?"

"Percy's being given a question."

"Hmm…Kronos would want some bit of intervention, I think."

"We need to figure this all out, Luke. What he would need and such…"

"Yes, well…I may be able to help out with a few things. I'll meet you back here at sunset."

Luke disappeared into the woods. I watched after him for a moment. Luke and I were allied under Kronos for the time being…until Kronos's offer held no appeal to me. We had discussed the wonders of being able to keep the Bolt concealed until the solstice. He had promised to give me the Helm when the date came around so I could give it to my father.

New measures were called for.

XxX

Flashes came to me, and words started to string together. I knew that it was odd to be conscious to this kind of thing, but as I lay on the ground, thrashing, the words escaped me smoothly, as I had no control of myself. Thank the gods I was alone…

_You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.  
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.  
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.  
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._

What…was that?


	10. The Furies Appear on a Bus

_A/N: So…I hate my laptop right now. You see, I have four laptops. One is my use-all-the-time, another (this one) is my okay-sure-need-to-do-something-with-these-files, another is my chat-with-my-dad-on-vent, and finally, there's my little bitty travel-because-it's-tiny laptop. My use-all-the-time laptop now needs to go into the shop to be WIPED. And that means anything I have on there that is Chain Girl is being wiped, and I can't access it._

_Suffice it to say, the source of my annoyance is that I was about to post it up when it crashed. The chapter, I mean. So the WHOLE thing is rewritten. Hope you enjoy, despite my troubles. Well, anyway, sorry for the long wait and the short chapter. Chapter 11 will be nice and long to make up for the whole thing. There wasn't much I could do since most of the content for chapter 10 in _Lightning Thief_ was Chiron talking about the Titan-Olympian war._

_Most of this chapter was written in the hospital. No, I was not admitted, though I suppose I should have been…_

_ALSO! Someone asked me via Private Message that they wanted to know if I typed in a different font than Arial 10, Calibri 11, or Times New Roman 12. The answer is yes. Generally, I type in Sylfaen 10 or Centaur 10, because they are simple fonts and they look aesthetically pleasing…well, as far as I'm concerned._

**Chapter 10**

**The Furies Appear on a Bus**

I'm not entirely sure where my mistake was. In my defense, I could not have known in any form that the day was going to end with me dragging a satyr and jerk with me. I was virtually packed—what did I have to pack anyway?—and was dressed in clean clothing, which I merely summoned whenever I needed it. I was moving quickly, and I passed the border, stopping in my tracks. Right on the side of the road was a black motorcycle. Blinking, I couldn't hide that I was caught off-guard. Leaning on the motorcycle was Jolt, and I rolled my eyes, studying him and the bike. They went together, surprisingly, and Blaine was in a sidecar. The other sidecar was empty. Jolt held up a hand with an annoying smirk. "What took ya'?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, Chrysanthe. Hop in."

There was something about a weird guy with blond hair that I barely knew telling me to take a ride in his motorcycle when he shows up out of nowhere with a satyr in the sidecar that makes me not want to trust him. I wonder what part of that it was…maybe all of it? Regardless, if we were both doing the same thing for some odd reason, I decided that a ride would be helpful…considering I would have now lost them.

I got into the sidecar and glanced at Jolt, who was looking at a device before speeding down the road. I could hear Blaine screaming, but I wasn't sure why he would do that. The wind felt nice, and the scenery just blurred by. It made travel a breeze…pun not intended.

When we slowed down, we were at our destination; a bus station where the kids were all getting out of the van from Camp Half-Blood. Studying the team, I found myself annoyed at the composition. Two demigods and a satyr. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, and Grover Underwood, satyr. I looked at my own composition—which I assumed wouldn't be with me for long—to find a demigod, a goddess, and a satyr. Rolling my eyes, I got out of the sidecar, heading quickly after them. I sensed Jolt following me and spun around to glare at him coldly.

"Yo, your dad told me to watch you, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"I'm not a child, I can handle myself, so _get lost_," I growled at him. He just smiled, pushing his sunglasses further up on his nose. Unfortunately, Blaine got up to follow me as well. I sighed. Two against one? I didn't quite like my chances. I walked after the kids, watching them get on a bus to go cross-country. I shook my head and moved to follow them, shadows concealing me from the view of the driver. I had the courtesy of doing the same for Jolt and Blaine, even though I was annoyed. I chose sitting at the back, past Annabeth, Percy, and Grover. Jolt and Blaine sat on either side of me, Jolt with a smug grin.

My eyes surveyed the bus, and I noticed three old ladies sitting toward the front. They were familiar in aura, and it occurred to me that Megaera, Tisiphone, and Alecto were here. I tilted my head. Indeed, my father must have been angry. As I thought about it, I realized that Father suspected Percy of stealing his helm…but something still didn't sit right. It was too…obvious, I suppose would be the word. I sighed as I remembered. Hades. He wasn't my father, no. Definitely not. My father was more vicious, strict, and bloodthirsty. A war fiend. A shudder ran down my spine.

I blinked as a black jacket covered me and sniffed discreetly before glaring at Jolt. "By no means do I have any desire to smell like you," I said to the demigod. He smiled at me and leaned back, now in a blue tee with gold cross in plain view. I glanced down at my own necklace—a silver crescent moon. What did they mean? What did Jolt mean when he had said that I would know what to do with it? Too many questions.

"You know what I smell like? That's very flattering!" Jolt teased, and I glowered at him. "You looked cold, shuddering so much," he explained further, leaning his head back as though he was closing his eyes. I couldn't see, but I know I felt a blush heating my cheeks. I looked ahead as the bus began to move, and I stared at the Furies. I was attempting to determine their exact order, and finally, Tisiphone turned and locked eyes with me. Tisiphone was my favorite of the Furies, and I knew "she" was Father's favorite as well.

"_My lady,"_ the Fury addressed in my mind. I felt darkness surround us, leaving us to our communication. I could see only those eyes, and could hear only that voice. _"Lord Hades ordered us to bring him the demigod."_

I felt a smirk distantly. _"Oh, Father…so impatient. You realize that he will make it there in time?"_

"_How do you know, Lady?"_

"_I've seen it. Do not question me, Tisiphone. I do not know how, I simply know."_

"_Shall I proceed with orders?"_

"_You are ordered by a higher ranking than I. Obey his orders."_

"_Yes, my lady."_

My eyes cleared of the darkness, and I noticed Tisiphone turn back around in the bus seat. My eyes found the window, and I watched the scenery pass. I felt eyes on me and glowered at Jolt, who still seemed to be asleep. "Stop acting. I know you're awake." His head rolled to the side, seemingly in sleep, but I sensed his gaze on me and used one finger to quickly tug his sunglasses off. His blue eyes blinked at me before he grinned.

"What?"

"Stop looking at me. It's weird."

"In all seriousness," Jolt began, snatching his sunglasses from me and putting them on again, "what are you going to do?"

That was a good question. What would I do? Naturally, I assumed that he was asking about my plans during the time of my father's orders.

"Certainly, I must obey my father. His orders are to follow the demigod, so I must." My eyes traveled to the back of Perseus Jackson's head. "However…I do not know what to do beyond those orders. Locate the Helm of Terror?"

"The Helm's missing?" Jolt questioned, though he didn't seem overly surprised at this news, nor interested.

"It is. The only reason it really matters is because it's his symbol of power. Without that, he, in essence, has no place on Olympus, nor in the Underworld. However, his minions are unaware of the missing Helm…except the Erinyes."

"Erinyes?" Jolt questioned with boredom evident in his tone.

"Yes, the Furies. Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto. They are the most loyal to the Underworld's royal line, which would be the House of Hades…or Pluto, depending on what you believe."

"Like there's a difference?"

"Well, there's a bit of one. You see, the Roman versions were the more strict, warlike of them. The Greek are more…party-ish?" I said, searching for the proper descriptive words. "The Greek counterparts were called for festivals, and the Roman counterparts were called to war between the cities and factions of the countries." I looked to Jolt, and found that he sat with his ankle on his knee and his arms crossed over his chest. His head was hung down, as if he was thinking. However, his eyebrow weren't knit in thought. In fact, he seemed rather…relaxed. I raised an eyebrow, passing a hand across his face and then pulling his sunglasses low. I scowled.

Jolt fell asleep during my explanation.

Blaine was chuckling next to me. He quieted when I glared at him, and I sat fuming between the two men. I closed my eyes, thinking.

Darkness enclosed me, and I opened my eyes to find we had entered a tunnel.

"_I need to use the restroom."_ Alecto had risen, and I watched as the other two rose, tossing in an agreement. They began to head toward the back, Alecto and I locking eyes to find a mutual agreement. My eyes flashed to where Percy and his friends were, and I found that Percy was missing. I looked around, trying to register where he was, but any trace of him had disappeared…other than his scent, I noted as I sniffed. As they arrived to where they were in their true forms, the matching handbags turned into fiery whips.

Blaine tensed next to me. I looked at him, then at the sleeping Jolt and sighed, smacking a hand on his thigh. He jumped, looking at me. I handed him his jacket. "We're going to be on the move soon," I explained.

"What the hell are those?" Jolt asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I won't explain. You'll just fall asleep again." Jolt's face turned slightly red with embarrassment, and he pulled on his jacket, rising.

"_Where is it? Where?"_ the Furies hissed with alarm at losing their prey. They were apparently scaring the other passengers of the bus, who were all cowering in their sears.

"He's not here! He's gone!" I heard Annabeth yelling, and I rolled my eyes. It? That did not mean _him_. _It_ referred to the missing Helm of Terror. I rose, but sunk into a crouch, a hand on either backrest of the seats in front of me. Suddenly, the bus jerked the left, and Jolt toppled onto me, knocking me flat on the floor. The bus began shifting, and I could feel Jolt's arms on either side of me as he held himself above. I heard the scrape of metal on stone—the bus grinding on the side of the tunnel we were in—and knew that something was going on up front. If an Underworld monster was involved…

The bus barreled from the tunnel quickly, and somehow there was no sort of crash. I found that we were getting off of the highway, and we were in a rural area soon. I pushed myself up, Jolt letting me get up just before the most horrid sound entered my ears. A loud, high-pitched wail erupted from the bus, and I covered my ears. The bus spun in a circle, and Jolt's arm shot around me, holding me tight to his chest while his other hand braced strongly against the seat. As the bus jostled and turned, crashing into the trees, I was held tight to Jolt. I managed to see Blaine getting thrown around in his seat, but I couldn't fight Jolt, for some odd reason. Something told me to just let him protect me.

Wait…did I say…_protect_?

The driver and passengers fled the bus, which I couldn't really blame them for that decision. The Furies were focused on Annabeth and Grover, and I managed to make the shadows conceal me, Jolt, and Blaine from the eyes of all those on the bus. Tisiphone glanced in my direction, sensing the movement of my shadows, but when I wasn't in their view, Tisiphone's eyes and focused returned to the two they were torturing.

The most curious even followed.

"HEY!" Percy yelled, and my eyes traveled to the front of the bus. As I slipped from Jolt's protective arms, I found that Percy was standing there in plain view, a baseball cap in his hand. As Alecto stalked up the aisle, Tisiphone and Megaera crawling over the seats predatorily, Percy ran out the exit.

"Perseus Jackson. You have offended the gods. You shall die," I heard Alecto claim.

"I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy returned, and I rolled my eyes. Alecto posed as a math teacher? Surprising. Alecto was bad at math that wasn't military-related.

I watched several things happen in the next few seconds. Annabeth and Grover were trying to break through the Furies to help Percy, first off. That was a bit stupid, honestly. Stalk right behind the most infamous monsters in the Underworld. Taking out a ballpoint pen—why a pen?—Percy stood against them. He uncapped the pen, and it elongated into a double-edged sword. I stared, blinking. It looked like…Anasklumos! The sword of Hercules.

"Submit now," Alecto hissed in warning, "and you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try." Well, that was actually a very nice offer, coming from Alecto.

"Percy, look out!" I believe that was Annabeth. I've been trying to erase the bus from my memory, you see. Alecto's whip wrapped around Percy's sword hand. Tisiphone was hit and got sent backwards into a seat, while Megaera was sliced and disintegrated to the yellow, sulfurous dust that monsters left behind. Annabeth leaped into the fray, and she wrapped an arm around Alecto's neck, while Grover took the whip from her.

"_Ow! Ow! Hot! Hot!"_ Not very much creativity to that yell.

Annabeth held on to Alecto, and Grover tied her legs up with her whip. Alecto fell flat on the back with no room to flap those wings for balance. "Zeus will destroy you! Hades will have your soul!"

"Braccas meas vescimini!"

…Eat my pants? I must not be translating that right…

The bus shook with thunder, and I used the shadows to take me, Jolt, and Blaine off of the bus. Annabeth, Grover, and Percy ran from the bus, stalling outside of it. They were talking about bags before—_BOOM!_

A strike of lightning ripped open the roof of the bus, the windows exploding. I watched with a mixture of horror and awe at the destruction of my uncle, Zeus. He'll never hear _me_ say it, but he has quite the destructive power at his hands…I noticed a glare on Jolt's face, and there was a dim glow from his eyes. Was he really just a demigod?

Alecto screeched inside of the bus, and I knew that monsters would follow soon.

"Run! She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" Well, I could agree with that.

As rain poured down, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover ran into the woods. I followed quickly, and without another word, Blaine and Jolt did as well.


	11. A Den of Snakes

_A/N: So, been a LONG while. Ask my boyfriend (PercyJacksonFanDTS); life has been busy. I just graduated from high school (WHOO!), and everything's been kinda…ick. Anyway, despite the drama, I have finally returned! Enjoy this chapter. It was WAY overdue._

**Chapter 11**

**A Den of Snakes**

If it could be believed, Percy and his team _walked_ away from the bus, which held…well, _furious_ Furies. I marveled at their idiocy, and at their luck. It wasn't every day that a demigod defeated two of the Erinyes and kept the other angered enough to lament their bad fortune on a buss.

In fact, I'm rather sure this was the only case of it. Not for long, for the children of Ares would soon be attempting the same feat, just to say they'd done it. They were stupid like that all the time, I believed.

"_Three Kindly Ones. All three at once,"_ the shadows reported in Grover Underwood's voice. I questioned Father's judgment as well. Although Percy Jackson had managed a lucky swing or two with Anasklumos, a sword I was quite familiar with, sending all three of the Erinyes after one demigod made the lord of the Underworld appear quite desperate. He probably was, and rightfully so.

"_Come on!" _the shadows urged in Annabeth's voice, _"The farther away we get, the better."_

"_All our money was back there. Our food and clothes. Everything." _Percy's voice betrayed his shock.

"_Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight—"_

"_What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"_

"_You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would have been fine." _Through this and other comments I had heard from her in the past, I came to the conclusion that the daughter of Athena held the fatal flaw of Hubris.

"_Sliced like sandwich bread, but fine,"_ the satyr replied. I agreed, pushing back my rain-soaked bangs. Walking in the rain led to a distinctly sullen mood in even my own group, and the one that stuck out the most was the quiet, reserved Jolt. His gaze was intense, roaming the forest.

"_Shut up, goat boy."_

"_Tin cans,"_ Grover brayed mournfully, _"a perfectly good bag of tin cans."_

_**You are using the shadows too much. Those bound to shadow may grow suspicious. A few are asking of your whereabouts already,**_a smooth, purring voice warned. _**As of yet, few in the Underworld, let alone those on Olympus, know of your presence in the mortal world. To get to me, they may attempt to harm you. I have many enemies, especially those above us, theoretically safe on the mountain.**_ My father's voice paused, but his presence remained. It was a contemplative silence, as if he was making a decision, so I stopped. I believed I had been slow in stopping, but I may have been abrupt. Blaine walked right into my back and Jolt stopped directly next to me. A feeling of being surrounded by shadow created darkness in my vision, isolating me from the outside world. The voice of my father grew cold, and a shiver ran down my spine. A shiver of fear. My true father spoke.

_**Remain aware of your powers at all times, lest those not in favor of me or the Underworld hunt you down. I cannot help you if that would happen. This is your mission to decide the best course on. Stay away from attention and pick your battles.**_

With a nod from me, that presence disappeared. Listening to my surroundings, I heard movement up ahead and resumed my walking.

"Hey, what happened?" Blaine asked, trotting for a moment until he caught up with the pace that Jolt and I had taken.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, not quite sure what the satyr meant. I stopped, pausing for him to explain himself.

"There was some really powerful aura around you, and I couldn't get near you! You zoned out, too!"

"Ah," I replied, trying not to care, but the last thing I wanted to do was admit my father's name. Jolt stopped, looking at me, and I was only slightly surprised that he was still silent. As I said, I tried not to care. Especially when it came to demigods. Mortal drama was far too difficult to keep up with, despite the things my father would watch when he got bored with little to do (quite a rare occurrence, you would think).

"What happened?" Blaine asked, and I sighed, stopping a few paces ahead of Jolt.

"I merely had a conversation with my father. That is all," she said, looking at Blaine. He blinked.

"Wait…you know your father? I assume he's a god…Why hasn't he claimed you if you two are so close?"

"It's…complicated," I offered in response. I resumed walking, and noted that Jolt's lips had twitched as if he was smirking now. This annoyed me, because he had a constant demeanor of being better somehow. It was how he came off with that smug smile.

I heard nothing up ahead and quickly used a flash of shadow power to be sure that I was still on the right path, and I was indeed. I walked quickly, and Jolt walked with me easily, thanks to his longer strides. Blaine was back to a slow trot to keep up and not lose me. I continued to walk until it got a little brighter, and I stopped at the tree line. I saw that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had continued walking. There were some neon colors, and I tilted my head as I looked from the trees. _Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium_. Interesting. I glanced at Jolt and Blaine, and Jolt's brows were knit. I tilted my head, then realized that he must be a demigod, with dyslexia. "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," I mused. "Sounds like a good cover story for…something."

The name was familiar to me, and I didn't know why.

_Because you don't remember your studies that Father wishes you would work hard at, twit._ I ignored this comment from my other half. She had a tendency to chime in quite rudely.

At the moment, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were crossing a deserted two-lane road, heading for the Emporium. I noted an abandoned gas station and wondered how there could still be open business. My nose picked up a greasy smell, as though something was cooking, and I felt ill immediately. _Meat_. I hated meat. If you saw those things in the Underworld after they had been killed for their flesh, you wouldn't want that either!

The other three had stopped at the door, and it was opening. There was a tall woman who dressed in a style rather reminiscent of the Arabs. I stayed to the trees, watching and waiting. Finally, they walked inside, and the door was shut. I snorted and walked forward, crossing the street quickly.

Jolt followed, along with Blaine. "Chrysanthe," Jolt said to get my attention, and I looked at him. "Are we really going to sneak in there?"

"Likely," I replied. He peeked at me over his sunglasses, and I glared in return. "If you don't want to, stay behind." I looked around as my feet touched the grass on the other side, tilting my head slightly at the statues. They were all very well crafted, and almost looked…real. Looking at a satyr, I saw Blaine shiver as he passed it. "Let's go around to the back," I said, trying to grasp why this entire location made my stomach form a cold, hard knot.

Jolt pulled down his sunglasses to look at the statues over them. He seemed just as unsettled as I. Going into the back, I saw nymphs, and what seemed to be a collection of horror-based statues, as they all had such a fearful expression. The realization hit me quickly, and my other side made some rude comment that I didn't pay attention to.

There was a creak from the front door, and I spun around, going to the edge of the building warily and looking at a park bench. Ducking behind one of the statues, I concealed myself as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover sat on the bench. Jolt was behind another statue, and Blaine was in a bush right now. The demigod looked at me, and I returned his gaze before I resumed focus on the three I was tailing.

"Now," the woman was saying, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," Percy said, and I noted that he sounded laced, as if with a drug of some type.

"Oh, enough. Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

Jolt looked at me, and I mouthed the name that I was rather concerned this may be. _Medusa_. The gorgon was dangerous, even in Tartarus, let alone up here around mortals.

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked. Had she offered to take a picture? Well, if Annabeth wasn't arguing this, I was tempted to argue just how much she takes after her mother.

Medusa—I was sure of it!—stepped back from them, chastising them for not paying attention. As it was, I turned my back, and so did Jolt. From my pocket, I produced a looking glass that I sometimes used to channel my powers as an exercise. In the reflection, I could see Medusa reaching to take off the things covering her head. Jolt pulled his sunglasses off, using those to see.

In the mirror, I could see Medusa step back. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

"That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand," Grover put in, looking at a statue. Blaine bleated nervously, kicking his legs that were sticking out from the bush. He went unnoticed, thankfully.

"Grover, look this way, dear," Medusa chastised.

"Percy," Annabeth said to get his attention in warning.

"I will just be a moment," Medusa said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil…" Her hands reached up to undo the wrap.

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Medusa questioned. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That _is_ Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover exclaimed.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth yelled, and she pulled on her hat, which seemed to make her invisible. Grover and Percy dove to the ground, Grover immediately scrambling away. Percy stayed still, and I rolled my eyes. Percy's head picked up, as if to look up at Medusa. The wrap fell away, and grotesque green snakes were hissing and spitting at the demigod. They grew from her head, as she was the gorgon cursed by Athena for having an affair with Poseidon in one of her temples. "No! Don't!" Annabeth yelled at Percy, and he stopped moving to look higher.

"Run!" Grover yelled. I wasn't sure what he yelled next, but he took off flying. I noticed that his shoes had wings and remembered something that Luke had mentioned about giving his flying shoes to Percy. Well…that must not have worked properly.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," Medusa said. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up." Well, the gorgons were stupid, in my opinion. Would someone fall for such a simple hoax? But Percy seemed to be thinking. "The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa finally said, and I continued to watch in the looking glass, shifting to be facing the monster, but still not looking. Jolt didn't mimic my movement this time. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her! Run, Percy!" Quite a hypocrite, if you ask me.

"Silence!" Medusa exclaimed, her voice monstrous and snake-like. It returned to the calm purr it had been before. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer." Percy muttered something that I couldn't pick up.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked, and I paused from my crouch that was ready to pounce into action. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain." A tremor ran through my body, and I lowered the looking glass, sitting back. The Olympians could have their hero. I wouldn't help. He would have to work alone.

"Percy!" Grover yelled, "Duck!" I watched the long shadows on the ground, seeing that Grover was flying with a large antler…no, a tree branch. "Duck! I'll get her!"

_Thwack!_

The branch must have connected.

"You miserable satyr!" Medusa snarled, "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

_Ker-whack!_

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled.

"Percy!" I heard Annabeth say, quietly, and a shadow showed Percy jump in reaction. I couldn't hear their conversation, though their voices were urgent, and Percy was very panicky.

"Hey, guys! I think she's unconscious!" Grover yelled from above.

"_Roooaaarrr_!"

"Maybe not," Grover replied. His shadow dived again. Percy's shadow uncapped Riptide and it became its true form. Grover went in for another hit, but Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled, moving him off balance. He crashed into a statue. "Ummphh!"

"Hey!" Percy yelled, and I saw his shadow advance on a snake-headed statue.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy. I know you wouldn't," Medusa crooned. His shadow hesitated, head slightly bowed.

"Percy, don't listen to her!" Grover put in.

"Too late!" Medusa cackled, lunging at Percy. Percy slashed with his sword.

_Schlock!_

The monster's shadow disintegrated, except for her head, and it fell to the ground. I waited for something to happen as it gurgled and steamed. "Oh, yuck," Grover said. "Mega-yuck." Annabeth approached and said something quietly. She was holding something fabric.

"Are you okay?" she asked Percy.

"Yeah," Percy said. "Why didn't…why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war. Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you." Assuming they were done, I shifted, making my way behind a taller statue and looking at them. Grover had just approached, and I was close enough to hear. Jolt was staring at the sky, seemingly thinking, and Blaine had finally gotten out of the bush.

"So, we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked.

"Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault we met Medusa."

"'It's just a photo, Annabeth,'" the girl said in a bad mockery of his voice. "'What's the harm?'"

"Forget it. You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're—"

"Hey! You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even _get_ migraines. What are we going to do with the head?

By this time, they had wandered inside, put the head in a bag, and were talking. I was the only one listening, using the shadows despite my father's warning.

"I'll be back," Percy said.

"Percy," Annabeth called, "What are you—?"

There was a push of shadow energy, and I backed away from the conversation, understanding the warning. I looked at Jolt and Blaine. "I am not sure what they will do tonight," I admitted. Jolt snapped out of whatever world he was in and looked at me. Blaine as well. "We will wait for them," I said, mind on the words that had come from Medusa's mouth. I knew the lie behind her words, but they stuck in my mind.

Nothing bothered me as much as those words, which repeated over and over for me to reflect on.


	12. Author's Note

Hello, all! This is Lady Chrysanthe here, and I know that I have not been updating this story for _quite_ some time, but I felt you all deserved to know why.

I have decided to focus on my own stories now, and Chrysanthe, as a member of one, is no longer usable for Percy Jackson fanfiction, which kinda throws a monkey wrench into the scheme of things. However, I am getting ready to post up a story involving Chrysanthe on fictionpress, one that goes through her background. I apologize to any of you who are disappointed, but feel free to contact me and talk. You might just be able to convince me to rewrite The Chain Girl…

Skype: elcapitanbara  
AIM: baradono  
Email: sghallock

I hope to speak to everyone and see you here with some more lovable characters at a later date!

Lady Chrysanthe


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